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/'„/■■'  /,„    \    HV//,<-    .1  ."  -/.-.  s/„/r  X'.      Boston 


SOME 
DETAILS 

CONCERNING 


GENERAL  MOREAU 

AND 

HIS  LAST  MOMENTS. 

FOLLOWED    ET 

A  SHORT  BIOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR. 


BY  PALL  SYININE. 

CHARGED  TO  ACCOMPANY  THE  GENERAL  ON  THE  CONTINENT 


First  American  from  t/te  Second  London  Edition. 


BOSTON ; 

Ti)   .AND    PUBLISHED    ET    NATBANISI,    WItCJi 
NO.    76,    STATE-STREET 

1814, 


/ 


TO 

MADAME  MOREAU. 


Madam, 

I  have  ventured  on  a  sketch  of  the  last 
>•  epoch  of  your  illustrious  husband's  life ;  I 
^  feel  how  much   I   have   been    unequal  to  the 

m  task  I  had  imposed  on  myself;  but  if  I  have 

33 

succeeded  in  expressing  the  admiration  I  ever 

experienced  for  his  simple  and  modest  vir- 
tues, and  the  regrets  inspired  by  his  loss,  to 
every  noble  and  generous  heart ;  if  I  have 
collected  a  few  outlines  which  will  not  be 
disdained  by  those  to  whom  one  day  will  be- 
long the  care  of  painting  this  great  charac- 
ter ;  I  dare  believe,  that  you  will  not  accuse 
me  of  presumption,    and  that  you  will  judge 

321107 


IV. 


with  indulgence,  of  a  recital,  in  which  i  have 
solely  consulted  truth,  and  my  own  profound 
respect  for  the  memory  of  General  Moreau. 

Be  pleased  to  accept,    Madam,   the    as- 
surance of  the  profound  respect,   with  which 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 
Your  very  humble, 

And  very  obedient  servant, 

P.  S, 
London  1st  November }  1813* 


SOME  DETAILS 

CONCERNING 

GENERAL   MOREAU, 

$c.  #c.  Sfc. 


The  great  military  talents  of  Gene- 
ral Moreau  were  known  to  ail  Europe ; 
but  much  less  known  were  his  frank 
and  loyal  character — his  mild  and  af- 
fable manners  :  his  private  virtues  were 
such,  as  to  induce  those  who  intimately 
observed  him,  to  believe  that  he  had 
confined  himself  (o  the  practice  of  do- 
mestic duties.  On  beholding  him,  ev- 
ery one  was  surprised  that  so  much 
simplicity  could  be  compatible  with  so 
much  glory.  It  is  in  this  point  of  view 
■  1* 


that  i  undertake  to  exhibit  this  great 
man ;  as  well  as  through  the  different 
circumstances  attending  his  return  to 
Europe,  until  the  fatal  moment  which 
terminated  so  fair  a  life.  Who,  alas  ! 
could  have  supposed,  when  I  was  trac- 
ing the  features  of  goodness,  generosity, 
and  candour,  which  rendered  him  so 
dear  to  me,  and  collecting  the  facts 
which  prove  with  what  enthusiasm  he 
was  welcomed  in  Germany,  that  I  should 
have  to  fulfil  the  mournful  duty  of  doing 
justice  to  his  memory  ! 

It  was  in  America  that  I  first  knew 
General  Moreau  ;  and  I  have  subse- 
quently had  frequent  opportunities  of 
seeing  him  in  the  detail  of  his  private 
life,  constantly  worthy  of  his  great  name, 
and  ever  meriting  the  affection  of  his 
neighbours,  who  distinguished  him  sole- 
ly  by  the  title  of  our  good  Moreau. 

On  his  arrival  on  the  transatlantic 
continent,  General  Moreau,  his  family 


baring  been  obliged  to  prolong  their 
stay  in  Europe,  chose  to  take  a  journey 
of  observation  through  a  country  so 
abundant  in  new  and  extraordinary  as- 
pects to  the  eye  of  a  stranger.  After 
visiting  the  Falls  of  Niagarr,  he  de- 
scended the  Ohio  and  the  M  ssissippi, 
returning  afterwards  by  land  10  the  spot 
from  whence  he  set  out.  During  this 
journey  he  acquired  a  perfect  knowledge 
of  that  part  of  America  through  which 
he  passed ;  which  is  a  proof  of  the  ha- 
bitual accomplishment  he  possessed,  as 
a  military  man,  of  ascertaining,  at  a 
glance,  the  situations  which  render  a 
country  remarkable. 

On  his  return  from  this  journey  he 
purchased  a  handsome  country-hou.se  at 
Morrisville,  below  the  Fall  of  the  Dela- 
ware. It  was  there  that  he  in  part  feu  it  d 
the  happiness  of  which  his  cruel  rival 
had  sought  to  deprive  him  ;  it  was  there 
that,  surrounded  by  a  charming  family 


8 

and  stedfast  friends,  be  seemed  so  much 
to  lose  sight  of  Hie  injustice  whose  vic- 
tim he  had  been,  that  he  was  never  heard 
to  mention  it,  and  rarely  to  name  him 
who  was  the  author  of  it. 

In  all  that  Moreau  said  or  did,  it  was 
evident  that  he  himself  wished  to  forget 
what  he  had  been,  and  was  also  de- 
sirous that  others  should  forget  it ;  but 
though  in  the  first  moment  his  perfectly 
artless  manners  and  his  unassuming  tone, 
rendered  it  difficult  to  recognize  in  him, 
the  great  man,  yet  the  contrast  of  that 
simplicity  with  his  great  renown  and 
his  lofty  deeds,  soon  filled  the  mind 
with  admiration,  and  there  was  no  one 
who  must  not  with  enthusiasm  contem- 
plate the  hero  in  the  meek  attire  of  his 
virtues  and  of  his  domestic  habitudes. 

His  fortune,  though  extremely  lessen- 
ed by  the  persecutions  directed  against 
him,  and  by  the  obligation  which  had 
been  imposed  upon  him  of  paving  the 


enormous  costs  of  the  law-proceedings 
in  which  he  had  been  basely  implicated, 
afforded  him  the  means  of  gratifying  his 
inclination  toward  hosoitalitv  and  the 
relief  of  the  unfortunate.  His  was  an 
open  house  to  his  numerous  friends  ;  it 
breathed  an  inexpressible  charm,  com- 
pounded of  all  that  interest  which  must 
ever  be  caused  by  the  sight  of  a  hero, 
proscribed,  yet  superior  to  misfortune  ; 
and  of  the  admiration  which  could  noi 
be  withheld  from  his  young  and  beauti- 
ful consort,  who  embellished  his  retreat 
with  talents  and  qualities  which  had 
shone  in  the  circles  of  one  of  the  first 
capitals  in  the  universe. 

The  situation  of  his  estate  afforded 
him  the  free  gratification  of  his  taste  for 
fishing  and  hunting.  There  could  not 
be  any  thing  more  touching  than  to  see 
him  bring  home  alone  in  a  boat  the 
fruits  of  these  amusements,  and  revisit 
the  bosom  of  his  family,  ever  most  hap- 
py in  his  return. 


10 

In  the  mouth  of  December  he  resum- 
ed liis  residence  in  New  York.  At  that 
residence  he  saw  persons  of  all  opinions 
and  of  all  parties  ;  but  his  prudent 
reserve  restrained  each  within  proper 
bounds.  The  voices  of  faction  were 
silent  before  him  ;  and  he  seemed  to 
impart  to  all  about  him  that  spirit  of 
conciliation  and  impartiality  which  cha- 
racterized the  whole  of  his  conduct.  It 
was  with  regret  if  he  ever  engaged  in 
politics ;  indeed  it  might  have  been  said, 
that  having  found  more  happiness  in  the 
new  world  than  he  could  reasonably 
expect  from  it,  he  felt  repugnance  in  oc- 
cupying himself  with  any  crisis  which 
was  then  agitating  or  about  to  agitate 
the  old  world.  Yet  the  American  poli- 
ticians consulted  him  as  their  oracle, 
and  perceived  with  astonishment  that 
almost  all  his  conjectures  were  in  the 
sequel  verified. 

Great,  however,  as  might  be  the  aver- 
sion he  seemed  to  entertain  from  what 


11 

ever  reminded  lihu  of  days  marked  with 
troubles  and  misfortunes,  he  could  not 
avert  his  thoughts  and  his  regards  from 
his  country  and  the  love  he  bore  her,  as 
well  as  the  hope  of  being  one  day  re- 
called to  contribute  toward  the  re-estab- 
lishment of  her  repose  and  glory,  urged 
him  constantly  to  reject  the  brilliant  of- 
fers which  were  made  him,  in  order  that 
he  might  devote  his  services  to  other 
countries.  But  the  disasters  which  the 
French  armies  had  undergone  in  Russia, 
so  afflicted  his  heart  on  account  of  the 
warm  attachment  he  bore  toward  France, 
and  irritated  him  so  strongly  against  the 
man  in  whom  they  originated,  and  who 
in  that  enterprise,  equally  barbarous  and 
senseless,  had  sacrificed  the  flower  of 
the  French  warriors,  that  he  thought  he 
could  no  longer  refuse  the  aid  of  his 
talents  toward  the  success  of  the  com- 
mon cause,  and  toward  the  general  de- 
liverance.    He  often  said  to  me,  in  bit- 


12 

ter  sorrow,  "that  man  heaps  shame  and 
opprobrium  on  the  French  name.  He 
lays  up  in  store  for  my  unhappy  country 
the  hatred  and  curses  of  the  universe. 
The  French  will  soon  be  worse  treated 
even  than  the  Jews ;  more  persecuted 
than  that  very  nation,  proscribed  as  it 
is  by  the  contempt  and  the  anathemas 
of  every  other  people.'* 

Having  lost  the  hope  of  seeing  his 
country  saved  by  some  vigorous  burst 
on  the  part  of  his  countrymen  in  the 
interior  of  France,  he  thought  it  his  duty 
to  contribute  to  her  salvation  by  uniting 
himself  to  a  power  to  which  no  ambitious 
views  with  respect  to  France  could  be 
imputed,  and  which  had  taken  up  arms, 
only  to  repel  the  unjust  aggression  of 
which  the  latter  had  been  the  instru- 
ment. He  consequently  acceded  to  the 
wishes  of  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  of 
all  the  Russias  ;  but  placing  implicit 
trust  in  him,  whose  generous  and  mag- 


IS 

nanimous  heart  he  was  satisfied  that  he 
knew,  he  refused  all  the  offers  made  to 
him  by  his  Imperial  Majesty's  Minister 
to  the  United  States,  and  would  not 
make  any  preliminary  stipulations:  there 
being  no  bounds  to  his  confidence  in  the 
Prince  who  invited  him,  and  his  motives 
bein"'  totally  different  from  those  which 
actuate  military  men  under  other  cir- 
cumstances,  to  enter  into  the  service  of 
a  foreign  power. 

Perceiving  that  the  field  of  action  Was 
about  to  open  on  the  continent,  he  felt 
how  indispensable  it  was  that  he  'should 
be  present  on  the  theatre  of  military  op- 
erations before  the  month  of  June,  and 
I  have  several  times  heard  him  exnress 

k. 

an  impatient  anxiety  to  arrive  soon 
enough  for  his  counsels  to  be  of  some 
use.  But  at  the  same  time  his  heart  was 
agitated  by  cruel  struggles,  divided  as 
he  was  between  his  dutv  to  his  country, 
and  the  love  he  bore  to  his  consort  and 
2 


14 

child,  who  had  both  been  in  France  ten 
months  for  the  sake  of  their  health.  He 
shuddered  to  leave  those  two  cherished 
beings  under  what  he  called  the  claws 
of  the  tyrant,  not  being  certain  whether 
his  consort  had  received  the  letters  in 
which  he  informed  her  of  his  departure. 
But  it  seems  that  notwithstanding  the 
great  distance  by  which  they  were  sep- 
arated, these  great  souls  had  understood 
each  other,  for  in  the  month  of  Mav, 
General  Moreau  received  from  his  ladv 

ti 

a  communication,  the  secret  of  which 
he  alone  was  able  to  recognize,  and  of 
which  none  but  she  could  have  con- 
ceived the  allegory  ;  by  this  he  saw  that 
she  supposed  he  must  go,  and  that  she 
had  taken  her  measures  accordingly. 

At  length  he  determined  to  set  out  in 
the  begiuning  of  June.  The  Ilussian 
minister  immediately  demanded  from 
Admiral  Cockburn  a  licence  for  an 
American  vessel  going  to  Europe  with  a 


15 

messenger;  the  Admiral,  to  whom  the 
secret  of  this  voyage  had  been  confided, 
readily  aflbrded  every  necessary  facili- 
ty to  it.  All  our  anxiety  was  after- 
wards engrossed  by  the  means  of  con- 
cealing our  projected  departure  from  the 
knowledge  of  Napoleon's  Minister,  who 
would  not  have  failed  either  to  despatch 
a  French  privateer  to  capture  us,  or  to 
employ  the  whole  power  of  his  intrigues 
in  order  to  detain  us.  Our  determina- 
tion to  wait  the  departure  of  the  Minis- 
ter of  the  United  States,  who  was  go- 
ing to  France  in  the  Argus,  occasioned 
our  own  departure  to  be  delayed  some 
days. 

At  length  on  the  21st  day  of  June,  I 
embarked  with  General  Moreau  at  Hell 
Gate,  on  board  the  ship  Hannibal,  550 
tons  burthen,  and  one  of  the  best  sailers 
in  the  American  marine. 

We  soon  lost  sight  of  the  American 
coast,  and  a  favourable  wind  brought  us 


16 

on  ibe  1st  of  July  to  the  Bank  of  New- 
foundland, where  we  remained  ten  hours 
to  fish  for  cod,  a  diversion  which  afford- 
ed some  relief  to  the  mind  of  General 
Moreau.  From  thence  until  we  arriv- 
ed off  Gotten&urg  we  did  not  see  a  sin- 
gle sail,  having  a  wind  constantly  fa- 
vourable, and  being  surrounded  by  fogs 
which  seemed  to  protect  us  against  the 
French  and  American  privateers,  from 
whom  we  had  every  thing  to  fear.  I 
caused  General  Moreau  to  notice  this/ 
by  telling  him  we  were  evidently  under 
the  iEgis  of  Providence. 

On  the  22d  of  July  we  made  the 
coast  of  Norway,  and  were  hailed  by 
an  English  frigate.  It  was  the  Hermo 
dry,  Captain  Chatham.  He,  learning 
from  me  that  General  Moreau  was  on 
board,  leapt  into  his  boat  to  come  and 
offer  us  ail  the  services  in  his  power. 
It  was  by  him  that  General  Moreau  was 
informed  of  She  arrival  of  his  consort  in 


England,  which  entirely  'dispelled  ijtf- 
cloud  which  had  from  time  to  time  hun<r 
over  his  brow  during  the  passage. 

On  the  24th  of  July  we  entered  the 
port  of  Gottenburg.  During  the  whole 
voyage  the  General  had  enjoyed  the 
most  perfect  health ;  and  reading  was 
his  favourite  occupation.  1  shall  never 
forget  this  happy  epoch  of  my  life.  I 
gave  myself  up  entirely  to  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  him  discourse  on  a  great  di- 
versity of  subjects.  Mis  manner  of  ex- 
pressing himself,  though  pure  and  often 
elegant,  was  quite  his  own  ;  it  partook 
of  the  frankness  of  a  warrior,  and  the 
politeness  of  a  man  of  the  world.  He 
laid  open  his  thoughls  with  clearness 
and  ease  ;  so  much  had  he  read  and  ob- 
served, that  he  imparted  the  greatest 
variety  and  unahatins;  interest  to  our 
conversation.  The  only  topics  on  which 
it  was  difficult  to  lead  him  to  speak, 
were   the   facts   which   constituted    his 


18 

military  glory,  and  the  persecutions  lie 
had  suffered  on  the  part  of  his  enemies. 
lie  could  not  pardon  Bonaparte  for  the 
evils  which  this  man  had  caused  France 
to  suffer;  but  he  forgave  him  all  those 
with  which  he  bad  afflicted  him.  His 
angelic  soul  was  a  stranger  to  hatred, 
and  his  heart  rejected  every  idea  of 
private  revenge.  The  only  matters  I 
could  gather  from  him  as  to  his  impris- 
onment, related  to  the  refusals  and  the 
honest  pride  with  which  he  incessantly 
opposed  the  insinuations  of  Napoleon's 
agents,   whose   endeavours  were  to  in- 

CD  7 

duce  him  to  make  some  advances  to- 
ward the  latter,  which  might  tend  to  an 
approximation.  When  Bonaparte  had 
lost  the  hope  of  sacrificing  General  Mo- 
neau,  he  sent  If****  to  the  Temple  to 
propose  to  him  the  conditions  on  which 
he  would  grant  him  his  liberty  and  be 
reconciled  to  him  ;  but  they  were  drvlv 
rejected  by   the  (general,  who   said  he 


19 

preferred  his  own  lot  to  that  of  his;  per 
secutor.     When  he  arrived  on  the  fron- 
tiers of  Spain,  the  officer  who  had  ac- 
companied him  thither   by  order  of  (he 
police,  told  him  mysteriously,  that  if  he 
had  any  intention  of  writing  to  the  Em- 
peror he  might  do  so,   and  wait  an  an- 
swer on  the  frontiers,  which  could  not 
fail  to  be  prompt  and  favourable.    The 
General    answered   that   he  wouM  not 
write  to   the  person   whom   the  officer 
called    Emperor,   nor    would    lie   have 
anv  intercourse  whatever  with  him.   On 
our  passage  he  often  spoke   to   me  with 
tenderness  of  General  Fichegi\u5  whose 
great  talents  and   energetic  virtues   he 
admired,  and  whose  lamentable  end,  he 
incessantly  deplored.     K-e  also  delight- 
ed to  expatiate  on  the  genius  and  mili- 
tary talents  of  our  immortal   Bouvoroffi, 
of  whom,  however,  he  judged  with  im- 
partial severity.     He  had   taken   some 
pains  to  correct  the  errors  made  by  the 


so 

historians  of  that  General,  but  unfortu- 
nately the  notes  he  had  made  on  the 
subject,  as  well  as  many  others  equally 
interesting,  were  lost  along  with  his  li- 
brary, in  the  fire  which  consumed  his 
country-house  in  December,  181 L 

On  the  26th  July,  we  landed  at  Goi- 
tenburg.  The  first  visit  of  the.  Gene- 
ral, was  to  the  Governor  :  he  was  after- 
wards disposed  to  view  the  town,  hut  the 
eagerness  of  the  multitude,  nnd  their 
demonstrations  of  joy,  soon  obliged  him 
to  give  up  the  walk. 

On  the  same  day,  he  wrote  to  the  Em- 
peror of  Russia  and  to  the  Prince  Roy- 
al of  Sweden,  On  the  27th,  he  paid  a 
visjt  to  Marshal  Yon  Essen.  The  lat- 
ter General,  expressing,  with  the  frank- 
ness and  sincerity  of  an  old  soldier,  the 
joy  he  felt  at  seeing  him,  said  to  me, 
u  You  have  brought  us  a  reinforcement 
of  100,000  men  :  what  pleasure  his  arri 
val  will  afford  to  our  Prince  Royal,  who 


21 

is  incessantly  speaking  of  his  friend, 
General  Moreau.  How  many  times 
lias  the  Prince  repeatedly  told  me,  that 
Moreau  was  born  a  general,— that  he 
had  the  conception,  the  glance,  (coup 
d'oeil)  the  decision  of  a  great  captain  !;" 

For  more  than  a  year,  the  report  had 
been  spread  in  Sweden,  that  General 
Moreau  would  come  into  that  kingdom. 
This  report  originated  in  the  following 
circumstance  :  when  t\\Q  Prince  Royal, 
accompaniad  by  the  Marshal,  repaired 
to  Stockholm,  he  asked  the  latter,  cverv 
time  that  they  passed  a  handsome  conn- 
try-bouse,  "Is  that  to  be  sold  ?"  and  on 
the  Marshal's  observing  to  him,  that 
the  King  had  live  superb  castles ;  his 
Royal  Highness  answered,  that  the  on- 
ly object  of  these  questions  was  to  find 
out  a  handsome  habitation  for  his  friend, 
General  Moreau. 

During  the  few  days  that  General 
Moreau  remained  at  Gotienburg,  he  bu~ 


22 

hied  himself  among  his  country-equi- 
page, that  is  to  say,  he  caused  to  he 
laid  aside  the  greater  part  of  his  effects, 
to  he  forwarded  to  Russia,  and  reserv- 
ed only  some  maps,  of  which  he  posses- 
sed a  valuable  collection,  together  with 
a  few  changes  of  linen.  Few  men  were 
more  limited  than  he  was,  in  their  per- 
sonal wants  :  he  could  do  without  every 
thing  that  was  not  strictly  necessary  : 
and  a  servant  was,  to  him,  almost  a  su- 
perfluity. When  1  testified  to  him  my 
great  astonishment  at  seeing  him  so  in- 
dependent of  all  which  constitutes  the 
indispensable  necessaries  of  existence, 
lie  answered,  "  Such  should  be  the  life 
of  a  military  man  ;  he  must  know  how 
to  bear  the  want  of  every  thing  ;  never 
be  discouraged  by  privations  ;  it  is  thus 
that  we  made  war.  The  General  in 
chief  had  scarcely  a  single  carriage. 
Our  baggage  never  encumbered  our 
march  ;    and  on  our  retreat,  we  were 


23 

never  hampered  with  those  numerous 
equipages  which  occasion  the  loss  of 
more  men  to  an  army  than  a  retreat 
does.7' 

He  had  a  way  of  arranging  his  pack* 
ages,  which  deserves  to  be  mentioned 
here  :  he  divided  his  money,  his  clothes, 
his  linen,  and  other  necessary  effects, 
as  equally  as  possible,  and  deposited 
portions  in  each  of  them,  so  that  he  was 
almost  certain  of  not  being  exposed  to 
the  privations  to  which  military  men, 
who  are  less  provident,  must  ever  be 
exposed  by  the  chances  of  war. 

On  the  first  of  August  we  left  Gotten- 
burg  ;  from  that  moment  our  journey,  as 
far  as  Estadt,  was,  to  General  Moreau, 
a  triumphal  procession  ;  every  one  dis- 
puted the  honour  of  seeing  and  having 
him  at  his  house.  We  almost  constant- 
ly found  the  proprietors  of  the  castles 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  our  route,  wait- 
ing  for  us.  at  Hie  relays,  to  offer  their 


24 

services  to  the  General  :  he  enchanted 
every  body  by  his  manners  and  his 
conversation, 

At  Estadt  we  found  a  Swedish  brig 
of  war,  on  board  of  which  the  General 
was  conducted  by  the  Swedish  Admiral 
■General,  who  paid  him  the  highest  hon- 
ours.    The   passage  lasted   forty-eight 
hours  ;  and  ou  the  Gih   of  August,  we 
anchored  in  the  road  of  Stralsund.     I 
went  first  on  shore  tq  announce  our  ar- 
rival to  the  commandant  of  the  place, 
who  told  me,  that  the  General  was  ex- 
pected, and  that  an  aide-de-camp  had  a 
letter  to  deliver  to  him  from  the  Prince 
Royal,     He  landed  at  noon,  and  was 
saluted  with  twenty-one  guns;  the  ship's 
crew  being  on  the  masts.     He  was  re- 
ceived  at  the  port  by  all  the  Swedish 
generals  and  superior  officers,  who  ac- 
companied him  to  the  palace,   through 
the   midst    of  the   inhabitants,  raising 
eaatimial  huzzas  ;    and  by  the  troops, 


25 

who  paid  liim  military  honours.  He 
was  at  dinner  with  the  commandant, 
when  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  Royal 
was  announced  to  him — he  flew  to  meet 
him  ;  hut  as  soon  as  the  Prince  perceiv- 
ed him,  he  darted  from  his  carriage, 
rushed  into  his  arms,  and  lavished  on 
him  the  warmest  expressions  of  friend 
ship :  this  truly  affecting  interview  drew 
tears  from  all  eyes.  From  that  moment, 
the  first  question  which  the  Prince  Roy- 
al put  to  those  who  addressed  him,  was, 
(i  Have  you  seen  Moreau  ?" 

During  the  three  days  that  these  two 
great  men  passed  together,  they  never 
quitted  each  other  ;  they  employed  that 
interval  in  concerting  the  grand  plan 
which  is  to  give  repose  and  happiness 
to  the  universe.  On  the  following  day, 
they  went  to  visit  the  fortifications  of 
Stralsund,  and  were  present  when  the 
English  troops  entered  into  that  town, 
under  the  command  of  General  Gibbs. 
3 


26 

vFhe  General  was  much  satisfied  at  fincL 
ins  here  Count  Walmoden,  with  whom 
be  had  a  long  conference.  It  was  then, 
also,  that  we  were  joined  by  Colonel 
llapatel,  bis  former  aide-de-camp. 

AYe  left  Stralsund  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning.     What  I  have  said  of  the 
manner  in  which  Moreau  was  received 
in  Sweden,  scarcely  affords  an  idea  of 
the  reception  given  him  in  Prussia  : — 
every  one  expressed,   in  his  own  way, 
the  joy  which  his  presence  caused.  The 
innkeepers  refused  his  money — the  post 
masters  furnished  him  their  best  horses  ; 
scarcely  did  his  carriage  stop  an  instant 
ere  it  was  surrounded  by   a  multitude 
easer  to  see  him  and  applaud  him.    He 
was  far  from  ascribing  to  himself  all 
this  homage.     "These  good  people/' 
said  he,  "  prove  by  all  these  demonstra- 
tions, the  hatred  they  bear  to  Bonaparte, 
and  the  desire  which  animates  them  to 
be  forever  freed  from  him,"     The  effect 


37 

caused  by  his  presence,  produced  seve- 
ral touching  scenes,  from  among  which, 
I  shall  only  cite  one,  remarkable  fru- 
its simplicity.  At  the  gate  of  a  small 
town,  an  old  grey -haired  corporal  asked 
me  the  name  of  the  traveller  whom  I 
accompanied,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  ut- 
tered that  of  General  Moreau,  he  re- 
pented it  thrice  with  great  signs  of  aston- 
ishment ;  then,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  lie 
eagerly  seized  the  General's  hand,  and, 
notwithstanding  his  efforts,  repeatedly 
kissed  it,  calling  him  "  our  father,  our 
father."  He  then  called  loudly  to  three 
invalids,  who  composed  the  whole  guard 
of  the  gate,  and  formed  them  in  line  to 
salute  the  General,  who  was  deeply  ai- 
fected  by  this  simple  and  artless  testi- 
mony of  the  interest  which  his  presence 
inspired. 

In  proportion,  as  we  advanced  into  a 
country  where  every  thing  recalls  to 
mind  the  glory  of  the  great  Frederic, 


28 

(SeHeral  Moreau  astonished  me  by  the 
knowledge  lie  possessed,  not  only  of 
the  political  and  military  events  which 
rendered  it  interesting,  but  also  of  its 
manufacturing  and  territorial  resources. 
Charles  XII.  and  Frederic  the  Great 
were  his  favourite  heroes  ;  the  first,  on 
account  of  his  grand  character  and 
astonishing  intrepidity  ;  the  second,  on 
account  of  that  expanded  genius  and 
that  vigorous  soul  which  never  display- 
ed their  means  to  greater  advantage, 
than  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  revers- 
es ;  he  admired  him  equally  as  a  sage, 
a  hero,  and  a  king.  "  He/*'  said  the 
General,  "  never  abandoned  his  army 
when  surrounded  by  dangers  ;  nor  was 
he  ever  at  a  loss  how  to  manage  it 
in  the  midst  of  battles.  His  victories 
were  the  fruit  of  the  highest  combina- 
tions ;  seconded  by  a  coup  d'cetl,  the 
most  accurate  and  just,  by  the  rarest  de- 
cree of  sunsr  froid,   and  by  »  courage 


Q 


9 


such  as  it  best  becomes  a  Sovereign  to 
display.  The  fury-tending  tactics  of 
Bonaparte  have  entirely  overthrown  the 
art  of  war ;  battles  are  now  no  longer 
any  thing  but  butcheries  ;  it  is  not,  as 
formerly,  by  sparing  the  blood  of  the 
soldiers,  that  a  campaign  is  terminated  ; 
but,  in  fact,  by  making  that  blood  flow 
in  torrents.  Napoleon  has  gained  his 
victories  solely  by  mortal  dint  of  men." 

In  passing  to  New  Oremburg,  where 
the  head  quarters  of  the  Prince  of  Swe- 
den were,  the  venerable  Marshal  Steel- 
ing, being  informed  of  the  arrival  of  Ge- 
neral Moreau,  instantly  rose  from  table 
to  go  and  invite  him  to  dinner.  I  never 
witnessed  more  concord,  more  harmony, 
than  in  the  reunion  of  those  brave  war- 
riors, who  listened  with  enchantment  to 
a  great  man,  whom  they  had  until  then 
known  only  by  his  exploits. 

We  entered  Berlin  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening.     As  soon  as  the  report 


30 

was  spread  of  -General  Moreau's  arrival 
in  that  capital,  the  streets  which  termi- 
nated at  his  hotel,  and  the  rampart  which 
fronted  it,  were  filled  hy  a  great  multi- 
tude, who  testified  their  joy  hy  huzzas  a 
thousand  times  repeated.  On  the  next 
day,  he  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  High- 
ness Prince  Frederic,  and  to  his  Excel- 
lency the  Russian  Ambassador,  Gene- 
ral Suetelen,  and  to  General  Buiow. 
We  quitted  Berlin  the  same  day  at 
noon,  accompanied  by  a  still  more  con- 
siderable multitude  than  that  which  had 
welcomed  us  the  eveninc  before. 

On  our  way,  we  found  in  each  town 
and  village,  deserters  from  the  French 
army,  mostly  Germans  and  Italians, 
who  all  begged  to  serve  among  the  al- 
lied troops.  Among  them  we  found  a 
single  veteran  who  had  served  under 
Morean  ;  the  rest  were  all  but  very 
young.  This  brave  man  recognized, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  his  former  Gene- 


31 

ral,  and  assured  him  that  his  meinoi  v 
was  deeply  engraven  in  the  hearts  of 
the  French  soldiers,  and  also  that  Na- 
poleon was  so  frightened  at  this,  that  he 
had  forbidden,  under  pain  of  death,  that 
any  one  should  utter  the  name  of  Mo- 
reau  in  the  army,  and  declared  that  no- 
thing was  more  false  tluiu  the  rumour  of 
his  arrival  on  the  continent.  The  vete- 
ran added,  that  there  now  remained 
very  few  soldiers  who  had  fought  in  the 
former  campaigns  on  the  llhinc ;  that 
the  greater  part  had  perished  in  llus- 
sia,  and  that  the  small  number  of  those 
vvho  had  escaped  that  disastrous  cam- 
paign, was  daily  diminishing,  on  ac- 
count of  the  necessity  which  existed  of 
placing  the  veterans  in  front,  in  order 
to  animate  and  sustain  the  children  of 
whom  the  greater  part  of  Bonaparte's 
army  was  composed.  The  Genera' 
chatted  a  pretty  long  while  with  him, 
and   on   a  iking  what   was   the  motive 


Z2 

which  induced  him  to  desert,  he  answer- 
ed, (i  My  General,  there  is  no  longer 
any  pleasure  in  serving  in  the  French 
army ;  nothing  is  to  he  seen  there  but 
children,  who  never  consent  to  fight  un- 
til their  ears  have  been  stunned  by  the 
roar  of  two  hundred  pieces  of  cannon/"' 

Near  Olau  we  met  General  Pozzo  di 
Boriro,  who  informed  us  that  Use  Aus- 
trians  had  joined  the  allies,  and  spoke 
of  the  impatience  with  which  Moreau 
was  expected  at  head  quarters. 

Having  learnt  at  Glatz  that  the  Em- 
peror was  to  pass  the  night  at  llatibos- 
chitz,  we  directed  our  way  toward  that 
place,  where  we  arrived  unfortunately 
two  hours  after  his  Imperial  Majesty 
had  quitted  it  for  Prague. 

When  we  entered  the  high  road  lead- 
ing to  Prague,  we  found  it  covered 
with  the  Russian  park  of  artillery.  The 
general  admired  the  steadiness  of  the 
men,  the  beauty  of  the   draught  horses 


33 

the  lightness  of  the  carriages  and  of  the 
cannons.  "  It  is  tlrus,"  said  he,  "  that 
the  thunders  of  war  should  be  borne ; 
the  appearance  of  your  artillery  already 
explains  to  me  tiie  superiority  it  has 
maintained  during  the  late  campaigns." 
He  caused  our  carriage  to  go  slower,  in 
order  to  examine  this  branch  of  our 
military  material,  more  in  detail. 

We  soon  found  ourselves  in  the  midst 
of  the  Imperial  Russian  Guard,  and  the 
name  of  General  Moreau,  which  imme- 
diately flew  from  mouth  to  mouth,  made 
the  most  lively  impression  on  those 
brave  men.  The  generals  Miloradovitz, 
Ermoloff,  and  Rosen,  hastened  to  come 
and  testify  to  him  their  satisfaction  at 
seeing  him  in  the  army,  and  accompani- 
ed us  to  a  great  distance.  Contentment 
was  exhibited  on  all  faces  ;  our  young 
officers  rushed  before  our  carriage  to  - 
contemplate  their  great  model.  Tiie 
General   bestowed  just  praise  on  their" 


34 

good  behaviour  and  their  martial  air. 
*f  Behold,"  said  he  to  me,  fj  the  heroes 
of  Pultusk,  of  Eylau,  of  Smolensk ; 
one  might  undertake  every  thing  with 
such  men." 

We  were  compelled,  by  an  accident 
which  happened  to  our  carriage,  to  re- 
main four  hours  at  Konigsgratz,  which 
afforded  the  General  time  to  go  and  vis- 
it the  Prince  Royal  of  Prussia,  who 
was  in  the  town.  The  young  Prince 
received  him  with  the  most  charming 
manners  ;  warmly  expressed  to  him  the 
joy  he  felt  on  seeing  him  ;  and  during 
a  conversation  of  some  hours  spoke  to 
him  chiefly  of  his  campaigns,  which  he 
had  very  sedulously  studied. 

On  the  IGth  of  August,  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  arrived  at 
Prague  ;  it  was  the  evening  before  the 
rupture  of  the  armistice.  Scarcely  had 
we  alighted  when  the  General  sent  me 
with  Colonel  Rapatel  to  receive  the  ox- 


85 

defs  of  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  Alex 
ander,  whom  we  found  just  on  the  point 
of  going  out  with  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria to  the  theatre.  Colonel  Rapatel  re- 
ceived orders  to  be  at  the  Palace  after 
the  play  was  over.  His  Majesty,  after 
expressing  to  him  the  entire  satisfaction 
which  General  Moreau's  arrival  gave 
him,  told  the  Colonel  he  supposed  he 
would  take  repose  after  the  long  and 
fatiguing  journey  he  had  just  performed, 
and  that  he  himself  would  postpone  un- 
til next  day  the  pleasure  of  receiving 
him.  At  the  same  time  the  Emperor 
sent  one  of  his  aides-de-camp  to  com- 
pliment the  General. 

On  the  next  day  at  half- past  eight  in 
the  morning,  I  was  going  out  of  our 
apartment,  when  I  met  the  Emperor  just 
about  to  enter  :  I  bad  but  just  time  to 
apprize  the  General  of  the  arrival  of  hi*3 
Malesty,  who  embraced  as  soon  as  he 
addressed  him  ;  and  quitted  him  after  a 


3G 

very  animated  conversation,  which  last 
ed  two  hours.       On  quitting  his  Majes- 
ty, the  General  came  to  me  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  and  said  to  me  in  a  softened 

voice,  "  Ah  !   my  dear  S ,  what  a 

man  is  the  Emperor  !  from  this  moment 
I  have  contracted  the  sweet  and  sacred 
obligation  of  sacrificing  mv  life  for  him. 
There  is  no  one  who  would  not  die  to 
serve  him.  How  much  are  all  the  flat- 
tering reports  which  I  have  heard  rela- 
tive to  him,  how  much  are  nil  the  pre- 
possessions I  had  entertained  in  favour 
of  him,  beneath  that  angel  of  good- 
ness !" 

The  General  then  repaired  to  the 
Castle,  where  his  Majesty  presented 
him  to  their  Imperial  Highnesses  the 
Grand  Duchesses  of  Weimar  and  of 
Oldenburg.  He  was  enchanted  with 
their  wit,  their  mental  acquirements, 
and  their  manners.  On  quitting  them 
lie  went  to  visit  the  Ministers  and   the 


37 


Generals.  In  the  evening  he  had  a 
very  interesting  conversation  with  Count 
Metternich. 

On  the  18th  at  noon  the  General  was 
presented  by  his  Majesty  the  Emperor 
of  Russia  to  his  Majesty  the  Emperor 
of  Austria,  who  received  him  with  the 
greatest  marks  of  distinction;  and  among 
oilier  thines,  thanked  him  for  the  mode- 
ration  and  mildness  he  had  constantly 
shewn  on  every  occasion,  during  the 
period  of  the  campaigns  on  the  Rhine  ; 
adding,  that  the  personal  character  of 
the  General  had  very  much  contributed 
to  diminish  the  evils  of  war  with  regard 
to  the  subjects  of  his  Imperial  Majesty. 

His  Majesty  the  King  of  Prussia  bad 
just  arrived  at  Prague.  The  E«vperor 
Alexander  earnestly  desired  to  present 
the  General  to  him,  but  foreseeing  at 
the  same  time  that  tiie  latter,  having  to 
set  out  the  next  day  for  the  armv,  had 
scarcely,  time  sufficient  for  preparations 

321107 


38 

of  the  most  indispensable  kind,  his  Ma 
jesty  invited  the  General  to  go  and  wait 
his  orders  at  home.  We  were  so  wait- 
ing when  all  on  a  sudden  the  Emperor 
entered  with  the  King  of  Prussia,  and 
addressing  himself  to  the  General,  said, 
ii  General  Moreau ;  his  Majesty  the 
King  of  Prussia.77  This  Prince  ac- 
costed him.  by  saying,  that  he  had  come 
"  with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  see  a 
General  so  renowned  for  his  talents  and 
his  virtues.77  He  then  added  in  a  more 
touching  tone.  "  how  much  he  admired 
the  motives  which  had  urged  him  to  re- 
pair to  the  army  of  the  allies,  and  how 
much  lie  relied  on  his  talents  and  his 
virtues  for  the  success  of  the  common 
cause.77  The  two  Sovereigns  then  clos- 
eted themselves  with  him  for  two  hours. 
In  treating  Moreau  with  so  much  dis- 
tinction, the  Emperor  shewed  that  he 
knew,  from  the  nature  of  his  own  heart, 
what  was  calculated  to  captivate  that  of 


39 

a  great  man.  Decorations  and  rewards 
of  all  kinds  were  nothing  in  comparison 
with  that  reception,  in  which  his  impe- 
rial Majesty  for  an  instant  forgat  the 
supreme  rank,  in  order  by  a  brilliant 
advance,  to  honour  a  man  whose  mili- 
tary renown  was  his  least  merit.  The 
latter  felt  it  so  deeply,  that  he  could  not 
speak  in  cool  deliberate  terms  of  that 
august  Sovereign,  and  when  he  heard 
him  once  called  by  one  of  the  Generals, 
"the  best  of  Princes,"  he  replied  brisk- 
ly, "how,  Sir?  say  the  best  of  men." 

The  General  told  me  that  his  Im- 
perial Majesty  had  stated  to  him  in  a 
few  hours  the  preceding  campaign  in  a 
maimer  so  precise,  so  clear,  and  with 
observations  so  just,  comments  so  pro- 
found, that  he  fancied  he  was  listening 
to  the  most  experienced  of  Generals. 
Re  permitted  himself  to  put  the  most 
detailed  questions  to  the  Emperor ; 
which   gave  his   Majesty   occasion  to 


40 

explain  all  the  marches  and  all  the 
maneeuvres  of  the  armies,  and  in  that 
manner  to  supply  whatever  was  obscure 
or  incomplete  in  the  official  reports, 
which  were  the  only  documents  which 
the  General  had  read  in  America,  in 
order  to  form  an  idea  of  those  move- 
ments. Af.er  this  conversation  I  often 
heard  Moreau  say?  that  if  any  thing  im- 
paired the  many  perfections  with  which 
the  Emperor  was  endowed,  it  was  an 
excess  of  modesty.  He  also  professed 
the  highest  admiration  of  the  Grand 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg;  "she  is,"  said 
lie,  "the  great  Catherine  herself;  her 
genius  astonishes  ;  and  her  manners 
captivate  all  who  know  her." 

On  the  19th,  in  the  evening,  Moreau 
set  out  for  the  army  with  one  of  his  Im- 
perial  Majesty's  aides-de-camp,  and  left 
me  with  Colonel  Rapatel  to  make  those 
arrangements  which  his  numerous  visits 
prevented  him  from  attending  to.  We 
were  to  rejoin  him  next  day. 


41 

How  sweet  was  it  for  me  to  hear, 
after  his  departure,  the  encomiums  which 
every  one  passed  upon  him.  In  two 
days  he  had  won  all  hearts  ;  his  frank 
ness  and  his  noble  simplicity  had  re- 
moved all  ideas  of  jealousy  which  might 
have  arisen  against  him  on  witnessing 
the  welcome  with  which  he  had  been 
received.  Every  one  highly  applauded 
the  unlimited  confidence  which  his  Im- 
perial Majesty  placed  in  him.  The 
General  himself  had  charged  me  to  re- 
peat to  all  those  who  inquired  about 
him,  that  he  had  no  other  ambition  than 
to  concur,  with  his  means  and  expe- 
rience, to  the  success  of  the  common 
cause,  the  triumph  of  which  must  neces- 
sarily restore  happiness  and  peace  to 
his  own  country,  in  the  bosom  of  which 
he  wished  to  close  his  days  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  domestic  virtues. 

Colonel  Rapatcl  and  myself  had  the 
honour  to  be  presented  on  the  20th  to 
4* 


42 

ftieir  Imperial  Highnesses  tlie  Grand 
Duchesses  of  Weimar  and  Oldenburg, 
for  whom  General  Moreau  had  left  us  a 
letter.  We  had  every  reason  to  be  sat- 
isfied with  the  gracious  reception  they 
gave  us.  Their  Highnesses  asked  us  a 
host  of  questions  about  our  General,  and 
required  us  to  let  them  know  every  par- 
ticular of  his  manner  of  living  in  the. 
New  World.  We  had  the  pleasure  to 
hear  them  express  themselves  with  re- 
gard to  him  in  terms  of  heartfelt  admi- 
ration :  they  said  they  had  never  seen 
a  man  so  well  deserving  of  renown, 
and,  having  so  just  a  right  to  make  the 
highest  pretensions,  to  be  at  the  same 
time  so  modest,  so  simple,  and  so  frank. 
Their  Imperial  Highnesses,  in  an  audi- 
ence they  gave  me  on  the  following  day, 
charged  inc  to  remind  General  Moreau, 
fch&t  they  eagerly  expected  news  of  him, 
and  to  urge  him  speedily  to  let  th<  m 
jmve  liis  consort  along  with  them  ;  add- 


43 

ing,  that  no  one  in  the  world  interested 
them  so  much  as  Madame  Moreau. 
The  Grand  Duchess  Catherine  gave 
Colonel  Rapatel  a  letter  for  the  General. 
On  the  2;">th,  we  rejoined  him  at 
Reiehstadt,  six  miles  from  Dresden. 
From  thence,  he  immediately  set  out 
on  his  approach  to  that  capital,  and  in 
this  journey,  as  in  all  others,  accom- 
panied his  Majesty  the  Emperor.  The 
whole  of  the  next  day,  he  also  passed 
on  horseback,  accompanying  his  Impe- 
rial Majesty,  and  his  Prussian  Majesty. 
The  attack  on  Dresden  commenced  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  to- 
wards evening  became  very  serious;  tke 
town  was  seen  to  be  on  fire  in  twelve 
places.  At  eight  o'clock,  the  General 
made  a  sign  to  me  to  follow  him,  and 
we  descended  into  the  valley,  where  the 
Austrian  cavalry  was  ranged  in  order  of 
battle.  He  went  along  the  front  of  the 
columns  with  the  greatest  rapidity,  in 


11 

the  midst  of  bullets  and  bombs  which 
fell  on  all  sides,  and  siopt  only  to  speak 
to  General  Chastler,  who  received,  him 
with  every  demonstration  of  the  most 
lively  interest  and  respect.  The  Gene- 
ral then  moved  further  in  advance,  to 
reconnoitre  the  batteries  of  the  enemy. 
We  ever  experience,  when  near  a  hero, 
a  feeling  of  assurance ;  this  sentiment, 
in  the  present  instance,  hindered  me 
from  reflecting  on  the  perils  that  sur- 
rounded me  ;  but  seeing  with  what  te- 
merity Moreau  exposed  himself,  and 
feeling  of  what  high  value  his  life  was 
to  us,  I  warmly  expressed  to  him  my 
fears,  conjuring  him  to  think  on  the 
deep  sorrow  which  would  be  spread 
among  the  allies  by  the  loss  of  the  man 
on  whom  so  many  of  their  hopes  rested. 
He  listened  to  me,  and  resolved  to  re- 
turn and  be  near  the  Emperor.  We 
were  lighted  on  our  way  by  the  flames 
of  Dresden  then  burning,   and  by  the 


45 

explosion  of  the  bombs  which  fell  at 
some  distance  from  us.  We  found  the 
Emperor  Alexander  uneasy  respecting 
what  had  become  of  Moreau,  whom  he 
had  seen  at  his  side  the  whole  day. 
The  latter  gave  his  Imperial  Majesty 
an  account  of  the  positions  of  the  enemy 
at  all  points. 

In  the  night,  he  had  an  occasion  of 
becoming  known  to  His  Imperial  High- 
ness the  Archduke  Constantine,  who 
came  to  announce,  that  the  intention  of 
the  enemv  was  to  debouche  on  the  riirht. 

The  accounts  given  by  the  prisoners, 
confirmed  the  arrival  of  Bonaparte  at 
Dresden,  at  one  in  the  afternoon,  with 
60,000  men,  part  of  whom,  who  were 
his  guards,  had  been  brought  in  post 
carriages. 

It  was  during  this  day,  that  two 
Wurtemhurg  regiments  passed  over, 
with  drums  beating,  to  our  side,  and 
took  their  stations  immediately  among 
our  troops. 


46 

The  27th,  (a  fatal  day  !    which  was 

marked  by  a  catastrophe  so  afflicting  to 
all  Europe,  so  terrible  to  France,  and  so 
cruel  toward  the  friends  of  order,  and 
the  admirers  of  real  glory  !)  the  weath- 
er was  dreadful ;  the  rain,  which  fell  in 
torrents,  scarcely  allowed  any  use  to  be 
made  of  the  artillery ;  ami  in  spite  of 
every  precaution,  the  muskets  were  so 
penetrated  by  the  wet,  that  they  became 
useless  in  the  hands  of  the  soldiers. 
Towards  noon,  Moreau  was  communi- 
cating some  military  observations  to  his 
Imperial  Majesty,  who  was  at  a  very 
short  distance,  when  a  ball  from  one  of 
the  enemy's  batteries,  which  was  aim- 
ing to  dismount  one  of  ours,  behind 
which,  these  great  persons  were  con- 
versing, shattered  to  pieces  the  right 
knee  of  the  General,  and  passing  through 
his  horse,  carried  away  the  call*  of  his 
other  leg.  It  would  be  difficult  to  rep- 
resent the  grief  which  my  Sovereign  en- 


47 

♦lured  at  the  sight  of  this  dreadful  blow  5 
he  was  affected  by  it  even  to  tears,  and 
hastened,  in  person,  to  administer  to 
the  hero  who  had  just  been  struck,  all 
ihe  succour  and  consolation  that  mierht 
either  sooth  or  re-assure  him.  Colonel 
Kapatel  had  flown  to  his  side  to  receive 
him  in  his  arms  :  "  I  am  lost,  my  deaf 
Rapatel,"  said  he,  "but  it  is  most  sweet 
to  die  for  so  good  a  cause,  and  before 
the  eyes  of  so  great  a  Prince.'7  The 
Colonel  sought  to  disguise  from  him  his 
sad  condition  :  saying,  it  was  easy  to 
save  him,  and  if  a  man  like  him  had  his 
head  and  his  heart  left,  he  might  still 
hope  to  do  great  services,  and  to  run 
a.  glorious  career.  But  the  General, 
though  unwilling  to  damp  the  hopes  of 
friendship,  shewed,  by  his  silence,  that 
he  could  have  no  faith  in  these  prognos- 
tics, and  that  already  his  great  soul  had 
perceived  death  without  affright. 

A  litter  was   hastily  made  with  the 
pikes   of  the   Cossacks;   Ihev   covered 


48 

him  with  some  cloaks,  and  carried 
him  away  to  a  house  less  exposed  to  the 
fire  of  the  enemy.  It  was  there  that 
M.  Welly,  first  surgeon  to  his  Majesty 
the  Emperor  Alexander,  directly  ampu- 
tated the  right  leg  above  the  knee : 
when  this  first  operation  was  terminat- 
ed, the  General  begged  him  to  examine 
the  other,  and  to  tell  him  if  it  was  pos- 
sible to  save  it ;  but  on  receiving  for 
answer,  that  this  was  impossible,  "  well 
then,  take  it  off,"  said  he,  coolly.  I 
have  no  need  to  tell  what  invariable 
firmness  he  displayed  in  the  midst  of 
the  torments  of  both  these  amputations, 
or  the  care  he  himself  took  to  console 
those  whom  he  saw  weeping  over  his 
sufferings ;  their  tears  he  reproached 
them  with,  as  marks  of  a  pusillanimous 
friendship. 

In  a  short  time,  notwithstanding  all 
the  efforts  that  had  been  employed  to 
conceal  this  catastrophe  from  the  armies* 


49 

the  news  spread  rapidly,  and  caused  a 
general  consternation.  The  army  hav- 
ing received  orders  to  make  a  move- 
ment to  approach  that  of  General  J31u- 
cher,  Moreau  was  removtd  to  Fassen- 
dorf,  where  he  passed  the  night :  he. 
had  a  short,  hut  tranquil  slumber,  and 
very  little  fever  ;  he  took  only  a  little 
soup,  and  some  wine  and  water. 

On  the  28th,  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  we  placed  him  on  litters  Let- 
ter contrived  than  the  other,  and  fur- 
nished with  curtains.  Forty  Croats 
were  ordered  out  to  carry  him,  and  tun 
Cossaeks  of  the  guard  served  him  as* an 
escort.  The  morning  was  very  rainy ; 
the  General  frequently  asked  for  water 
to  refresh  his  mouth,  and  on  arriving  at 
Dippoldeswalden,  he  took  a  little  bread 
in  some  soup.  He  seemed  very  tran- 
quil, and  even  healthy.  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  seeing  here  the  King  of 
Prussia,  who  was  repairing  to  Toplitz 
6 


50 

His  Majesty  inquired  most  prcssingly 
of  me  concerning  his  condition,  which 
seemed  deeply  to  affect  him,  and  said 
to  me,  "•  I  should  consider  his  death  as 
the  greatest  misfortune  that  could  befal 
me."  We  continued  our  route  toward 
the  frontiers  of  Bohemia ;  and  having 
halted  at  four  o'clock  to  give  him  some 
repose,  the  Croats  ay  ho  carried  him  were 
relieved  bv  some  Prussian  guards.  We 
were  afterwards  met  by  the  Emperor 
and  his  suite.  His  Majesty  having 
learnt  from  me,  that  the  General  was 
not  asleep,  approached  him,  made  the 
most  tender  inquiries  respecting  Is  is 
health,  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  him 
respecting  the  positions  occupied  by  the 
army.  We  arrived  at  night  fall,  ai 
head'  quarters.  1  cannot  describe  the 
affliction  occasioned  among  all  the  troops 
by  the  view  of  this  General,  who.  some 
Clays  airo,  had  been  the  object  of  so 
many  hopes  and   so    much   enthusiasm, 


51 

thus  borne  on  a  litter,  and  so  grievously 
wounded.  How  many  tears  did  I  see 
flow  down  cheeks  covered  with  glorious 
scars  !  How  many  noble  and  courageous 
hearts  have  I  seen  unable  to  bear  such 
an  affecting  picture ! 

Notwithstanding  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  the  General  was  in  a  condition 
which  gave  hopes,  which  were  the  bet- 
ter founded,  since  the  fever  was  consid- 
erably  diminished.  M.  Welly  con- 
firmed those  hopes  by  a  report  on  the 
state  of  the  patient.  He  relied  on  the 
purity  of  his  blood,  which  he  found  to 
be  most  extraordinary,  and  on  that 
greatness  of  soul  which  prevented  the 
agitation  of  the  mind  from  envenoming* 
his  bodily  sufferings.  He  added,  how- 
ever, that  there  was  scarcely  a  single 
example  of  recovery  from  such  severe 
wounds. 

On  the  29th,  the  Emperor  supposing 
that  the  General  might  bear  the  motion 


5% 

of  a  carriage,  sent  him  his  own  coach 
and  six  ;  but  according  to  the  advice  of 
the  surgeon,  it  was  resolved,  that  he 
should  be  still  borne  on  a  litter  ;  and  a 
company  of  Russian  grenadiers  were 
allotted  to  us  for  that  purpose.  Though 
the  road  across  the  mountains  was 
frightful,  and  toilsome  even  for  a  man 
in  good  health,  the  General  supported 
the  fatigues  and  iuconveniencies  attend- 
ing it  without  exhibiting  the  slightest 
symptom  of  weakness  ;  and  we  found 
in  that  amazing  fortitude  and  immovea- 
ble constancy,  new  grounds  of  hope. 
We  met  with  abrupt  mountains  and 
sud :.len  declivities  ;  sometimes  the  roads 
we  had  to  cross  were  overwhelmed  by 
torrents :  at  other  times  the  footpaths 
bounded  by  deep  precipices  and  roaring 
gulfs,  hardly  afforded  room  for  the  bear- 
ers of  the  General  to  walk  in  line. 
Thus,  to  the  deep  concern  which  his 
wounds  occasioned  us,  were  united  ap- 


o3 


prehensions  almost  as  terrible  respcctin 
the  dangers  of  the  road.  The  Emper 
or  overtook  us,  half-way,  with  his  suite, 
and  failed  not,  in  person,  to  ask  the 
General  how  he  found  himself,  forbear- 
ing however  to  make  him  speak  too 
much,  and  to  advert  to  subjects  which 
might  occasion  him  any  agitation.  We 
then  stopt  to  give  him  some  tea;  he  had 
not  ceased  during  the  daw  to  refresh  his 
mouth  with  cold  water,  which  appeared 
to  afford  him  an  agreeable  sensation  : 
but  which  excited  in  me  some  vague 
fears,  lest  he  should  not  be  so  well  as 
he  looked. 

When  we  descended  into  the  great 
valley,  we  could  distinctly  hear  a  very 
brisk  cannonade,  and  saw  two  villages 
and  the  town  of  Toplitz  in  Haines.  We 
redoubled  our  steps  to  arrive  as  soon  as 
possible  at  Ducks,  where  the  head  quar- 
ters of  the  Emperor  were  ;  we  arrived 
there  late.     At  eleven  in  the  evening. 


5* 


5* 

the  first  dressings  were  removed,  and 
the  wounds  appealed  to  he  in  a  favoura- 
ble state  ;  they  were  beginning  to  close, 
and  shewed  very  little  inflammation.  It 
was  in  this  place,  that  we  heard  of  the 
victory  obtained  by  the  Russian  guards, 
under  the  command  of  Count  Osterman 
Tolstoy,  over  the  corps  of  General  Van- 
damme,  which  was  infinitely  superior  to 
them  in  number.  When  I  related  to 
General  Moreau,  the  repeated  acts  of 
valour,  bv  which  our  brave  men  had 
distinguished  themselves  in  this  affair  • 
he  said  to  me,  "  We  must  naturally  ex- 
pect the  greatest  things  from  the  best 
troops  in  the  world."  All  the  Generals 
and  Officers  who  were  at  head  quarters, 
came  to  make  inquiries  about  him,  in 
the  most  earnest  anxiety. 

On  the  30tb,  at  noon,  we  arrived  at 
Laun  :  and  going  on  to  Iklin,  which 
affords  excellent  mineral  waters,  tho 
General  desired  to  have  some  botiles  of 


;>3 

it,  which  I  procured  for  him.  During 
the  whole  journey  he  had  continued  to 
refresh  his  mouth  with  spring  water, 
and  to  drink  some,  mixed  with  v  ine  ; 
and  moreover,  he  seemed  to  ns  extreme- 
ly tranquil.  It  was  at  Laun  we  heard 
of  the  total  defeat  of  the  corps  of  Yan- 
damrae,  and  of  that  Commander's  being 
made  prisoner.  All  the  details  on  this 
combat,  so  much  like  thai  of  Thermo- 
pylae excited  his  warmest  admiration. 

Hating  learnt  that  the  Swedish  Min- 
ister was  to  dispatch  a  Courier  in  the 
evening,  the  General  desired  to  write  to 
Madame  Moreau.  We  in  vain  observ- 
ed to  him,  that  he  would  run  the  risk  of 
fatiauine:  himself  very  much  by  writing 
with  his  own  hand  ;  he  persisted  in  his 
resolution,  and  it  was  on  a  desk  which 
I  held  before  him  that  i;e  wrote,  with  a 
tolerable  steady  hand,  this  letter,  which 
in  its  brief,  yet  concise  contexture,  gives 
flie  lie   authentically   to  the  calumnies 


56 

which  Napoleon  lias  spread  abroad,  re- 
specting the  manner  in  which  this  great 
man  bore  the  dreadful  blow  with  which 
he  had  been  struck.  Here  is  the  let- 
ter  : 

"  My  dear  friend,  at  the  battle  of 
Dresden,  three  days  ago,  I  had  both 
legs  carried  away  by  a  cannon  shot. 
Thai  scoundrel,  Bonaparte,  is  always 
lucky. 

"The  amputation  has  been  perform- 
ed as  well  as  possible.  Though  the 
army  has  made  a  retrograde  movement, 
it  is  not  directly  backward,  but  side- 
ways, and  for  the  sake  of  getting  nearer 
General  Blucher.  Excuse  my  scrawl  : 
I  love  thee,  and  embrace  thee  with  my 
whole  heart.  I  charge  Rapatel  to  fin- 
ish. V.  M  » 


The  General  then  shewed  a  great  in- 
clination to  chat :  but  we  complied  with 


it  as  little  as  possible,  well  knowing 
how  dangerous  that  would  be  in  his 
situation.  We  were  father  disposed  to 
keep  every  body  out  of  his  apartment, 
but  we  could  not  refuse  to  let  in  his  Roy- 
al Highness  th«>  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
who  staid  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
with  him.  This  Prince  told  him,  "he  was 
very  happy  in  becoming  acquainted  with 
him  ;  but  his  happiness  would  have 
been  still  greater,  had  he  formed  that 
acquaintance  on  the  field  of  battle/' 
The  General  answered,  "  that  they 
might  probably  meet  together  there,  in 
six  weeks." 

Alas  !  at  the  moment  when  hope  was 
dawning  on  his  heart,  it  was  leaving 
ours;  and  on  seeing  him  thus  rely  on 
the  recovery  of  his  health,  we  the  more 
deeply  felt  the  concern  which  his  situa- 
tion caused  us.  Count  Metteruich  af- 
terwards came  on  the  part  of  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria,  to  testily  to  him  ail  the 


i>8 

'  interest  which  his  Majesty  took  in  his 
condition,  and  quitted  him  after  a  con- 
versation of  ten  minutes.  Until  mid- 
night he  remained  very  tranquil ;  but 
all  at  once,  a  hiccup  and  frequent  vomit- 
ings having  come  on  him,  it  was  no  lon- 
ger possible  to  be  mistaken  as  to  the 
degree  of  danger  he  was  in. 

On  the  31st,  the  same  symptoms  con- 
tinued, and  never  left  him  a  moment  of 
repose,  so  that  he  sunk  into  a  state  of 
great  weakness.  The  cold  of  death 
had  already  reached  his  intestines,  when 
the  news  of  General  Blucher's  victory 
seemed  to  reanimate  him,  and  to  spread 
through  every  sense,  a  reviving  balm ; 
but  this  apparent  change  for  the  better, 
could  not  alter  our  mournful  forebo- 
dings. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  the  physi- 
cians had  succeeded  in  removing  the 
hiccnp;  and  lie  expressed  a  most  earnest 
desire  to  be  borne  on  to  Prague;  but  he 


59 

was  so  weak,  that  we  made  him  feel  he 
could  not  bear  the  journey.  He  then 
said,  it  was  perhaps  possible  to  go  by 
water ;  and  inquired,  if  there  wa9  not 
some  point  of  communication  with  the 
Moldau,  maintaining,  that  at  all  events, 
the  journey,  as  far  as  that  river,  was  not 
too  long  for  him  to  venture  upon.  He 
examined  the  map  several  times,  in  or- 
der to  ascertain,  if  what  he  desired  could 
be  executed.  He  was  busied  in  this  ex- 
amination, and  1  was  alone  with  him, 
when  he  heard  shouts,  which  came  from 
the  street.  He  had  the  curiosity  to  learn 
the  cause  ;  and  on  my  telling  him,  they 
were  occasioned  by  the  arrival  of  Gene- 
ral Vaiidamine.  who  was  making  his 
entrance  into  the  town,  amidst  the  hoot- 
ings  of  the  multitude  ;  he  said  to  me, 
with  astonishing  warmth,  "It  is  high 
time  that  monster  should  be  put  out  of 
condition  for  doing  harm!"  and  he  then 
was  silent.      Ho  testified  the  greatest 


60 

pleasure  on  being  told,  that  Vandamme 
having  complained  to  the  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  of  the  ill  treatment  they 
made  him  experience,  by  refusing  him 
bis  aide-de-camp,  and  taking  him  in  an 
open  carriage,  which  might  expose  him 
to  the  insults  of  the  populace  ;  that 
Prince  answered,  "  that  the  harshesi 
treatment  would  be  even  generosity  to 
ward  a  man,  sullied  like  him,  with  the 
blackest  crimes,"  and  afterwards  his 
Imperial  Highness  caused  his  sword  to 
be  taken  from  him,  which,  through  an 
excess  of  goodness,  the  Emperor  Alex 
ander  had  allowed  that  he  should  retain 
The  General  sent  Colonel  Rapatel  ami 
me  to  go  and  look  at  Vanuatu  rae  ;  i 
found  him  declaiming  like  a  madman 
against  Bonaparte,  whom  he  accused  of 
bavins:  abandoned,  sacrificed,  bereaved 
him.  I  left  this  maniac  in  the  rakist  of 
his  paroxysms  of  furv.  and  returned  t© 
tell  what  1  had  seen  of  him. 


61 

All  night,  from  the  1st  to  the  2d  of 
September,  the  unfortunate  Moreau  was 
restless,  yet  lie  did  not  seem  to  be  in 
pain.  He  never  ceased  consulting  his 
repeater,  and  calling  sometimes  Colonel 
Rapatel,  and  sometimes  me,  to  write, 
after  his  dictation,  a  letter  to  the  Empe- 
ror. At  length,  toward  seven  in  the 
morning,  finding  myself  alone  with  him, 
he  made  me  take  up  the  pen,  and  dicta 
ted  to  me  the  following  lines  : 

"  Sire, 

'"  1  go  down  to  the  grave  with  the 
same  sentiments  of  admiration,  respect, 
and  devotedness,  which  your  Majesty 
inspired  me  with,  from  the  first  moment 
of  our  interview"     *     *     * 

He  had  got  on  thus  far,  when  he 
closed  his  eyes.  I  thought  he  was 
meditating  on  what  he  was  gokig  to 
dictate  to  me,  and  1  held  the  pen  ready 
to  follow  him — but,  he  was  no  more  ! 
6 


G£ 


n> 


Hie  best,  the  noblest  of  men  was  nt> 
more  !  Death  had  imprinted  on  his 
countenance  no  sign  of  suffering,  or  of 
convulsion  ;  he  appeared  to  sleep  a 
peaceful  slumber,  peaceful  as  was  his 
heart  at  the  moment  when  he  was  struck. 
It  was  then  within  live  minutes  of  seven 
o'clock.  During  his  short  but  painful 
catastrophe,  never  had  his  cool  firmness 
forsaken  him  ;  on  seeing  our  tears  and 
our  sadness,  he  himself  took  care  to  con- 
sole us;  *'My  friends,"  said  he,  "what 
good  is  there  in  mourniug  ?  thus  has 
Providence  willed  it ;  we  must  submit 
without  a  murmur."  On  the  evening 
before,  wishing  to  announce  to  him,  in 
the  most  gentle,  and  sparing  manner, 
that  ihe  physicians  had  no  longer  any 
hopes,  we  spoke  to  him  of  his  unaltera- 
ble tranquillity,  of  that  calmness  with 
which  he  beheld  the  progress  of  his  dis- 
order, &c.  &c.  "  My  friends,"  answer- 
ed he  without  permitting  us  to  enter  in- 


63 

to  particulars,  "it  is  because  I  have 
nothing  wherewith  to  reproach  myself." 
Thus  ended  this  hero,  consecrating  his 
last  action  and  his  last  thought  to  the 
Sovereign  whom  he  rightly  regarded  as 
the  principal  repairer  of  the  wrongs  and 
ills  of  Europe,,  as  him  to  whom  France 
would  one  day  owe  the  fall  of  her  tyrant, 
and  the  re-establishment  of  her  happi- 
ness on  the  just  and  solid  basis  of  legit- 
imacy. This  was  the  observation  I 
made  to  mv  Sovereign  when  I  an- 
nounced  to  him  this  sad  intelligence. 

On  arriving  at  Toplitz,  I  found  his 
Imperial  Majesty  assisting  with  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the  King  of 
Prussia  at  a  Te  Deum,  which  was  sung 
in  the  midst  of  the  army  to  celebrate  the 
victories  just  obtained  over  Bonaparte. 
I  did  not  think  proper  to  disturb  his 
Majesty  while  entertaining  all  the  con- 
soling  ideas,  all  the  happy  presages 
which  this  ceremony  doubtless  present. 


64 

etl  to  his  mind;  I  waited  until  the  close^ 
to  fulfil  the  sad  duty  which  brought  me 
to  Toplitz.  His  Majesty's  emotions 
were  extreme  when  I  announced  to  him 
the  death  I  had  witnessed.  He  deign- 
ed to  take  me  by  the  hand,  and  to  say 
to  me  in  a  tone  of  the  severest  grief, 
4i  that  was  a  great  man  ;  a  very  noble 
heart." 

On  quitting  his  Majesty  I  was  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  Generals  and  aides- 
de-camp  who  were  there  ;  and  1  felt 
some  consolation  at  witnessing  the  trib- 
utes of  praise,  and  even  the  tears,  which 
those  brave  warriors  bestowed  on  his 
memory.  I  saw  several  who  regretted 
that  the  stroke  which  had  carried  oil' 
that  great  man,  had  not  taken  them 
away  in  his  stead. 

At  eight  o'clock  his  Imperial  Majes- 
ty having  caused  me  to  come  into  his 
cabinet,  gave  me  the  following  orders : — 
i.   To  convey  the  body  of  the  General 


65 

to  Prague  to  be  embalmed.  2.  To  ei^ 
trust  it  to  Colonel  Rapatel,  whom  his 
Imperial  Majesty  charged  to  accompany 
it  to  St.  Petersburg,  in  order  to  be  inter- 
red in  the  Catholic  church  with  all  the 
funeral  honours  which  had  been  paid 
to  Marshal  Prince  Koutousoff.  "Let 
us  endeavour  at  least  to  honour  his 
memory,"  said  the  Emperor  to  me.  His 
Majesty  then  ordered  me  to  enter  inio 
all  the  details  which  concerned  General 
Moreau,  his  wife,  his  daughter,  his  for- 
tune ;  and  desired  that  I  should  set  out 
with  a  letter  written  by  his  own  hand 
to  Madame  Moreau  :  "  it  is  a  conso- 
lation which  I  cannot  withhold  from 
Madame  Moreau,  that  of  sending  you 
to  wait  upon  her,"  said  his  Majesty, 
"  she  will  be  interested  at  seeing  a  man 
who  was  with  her  husband  until  his  last 
moment." 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  when  the 
question  arose  between  the   two  other 
6* 


66 

Sovereigns  and  the  Emperor  Alexan- 
der, respecting  their  claims  to  the  body 
of'  General  Mo  re  an,  this  Prince,  said, 
"  his  ashes  are  too  dear  to  me  to  let  me 
forego  the  ambition  of  possessing  them 
in  my  capital."  Indeed,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished homage  which  his  Imperial 
Majesty  has  rendered  to  the  memory  of 
that  General,  is  the  letter  of  which  he 
made  me  the  bearer,  to  Madame  Mo- 
reno. It  is  impossible  to  read  without 
the  most  tender  emotion  and  admiration, 
those  expressions  at  once  touching  and 
noble,  which  the  Emperor  lias  employed 
to  soften  a  grief,  tiie  extent  of  which  he 
estimated  bv  the  regrets  he  himself  ex- 
perieneed.  Greatness  never  employed 
a  more  worthy  lah&uasre,  nor  nitv  more 
sweet  consolations.  Every  thing,  in 
that  expansion  of  an  elevated  soul  and 
a  pore  heart,  bespeaks  the  Sovereign 
who  protects,  and  the  friend  who  con- 
Soles.      There    is   nothing    Ih    i*    that 


67 

breathes  either  formality  or  affectation  ; 
it  is  the  impulse  of  the  liveliest  sensi- 
bility anil  the  truest  grief.  Whatever 
may  be  written  of  General  Moreau  will 
never  be  capable  of  equaling  the  tribute 
of  regret  and  of  eulogy  paid  to  his  mem- 
ory in  those  immortal  lines  ;  and  if  any 
one  inquire  of  his  desolated  widow,  she 
will  doubtless  say  that  they  have  re- 
stored her  to  the  consciousness  of  exis- 
tence, that  they  have  recalled  her  from 
the  brink  of  the  grave,  and  that  in  read- 
ing them  she  has  been  enabled  to  con- 
ceive that  it  was  possible  not  to  sink 
under  the  most  poignant  grief  with 
which  the  human  heart  can  possibly 
be  afflicted.  Here  is  that  letter. 
i{  Madam, 
"  When  the  dreadful  misfortune 
which  befel  General  Moreau  ov  iuv 
side,  deprived  me  of  the.  luminous mind 
and  experience  of  that  great  man,  I 
cherished  the  hope  that  by  great  ear;    il 


68 

might  be  possible  to  preserve  him  to  lii» 
family  and  to  ray  friendship.  Provi- 
dence has  ordained  otherwise.  He  has 
died  as  he  lias  lived,  in  the  full  energy 
of  a  strong  and  constant  soul.  There 
is  only  one  remedy  for  the  great  evils  of 
life ;  it  is  that  of  seeing  them  shared. 
In  Russia,  Madam,  you  will  every 
where  find  these  sentiments ;  aud  if  it  be 
convenient  for  you  to  settle  there,  I  will 
seek  out  all  the  means  to  embellish  the 
existence  of  a  person,  of  whom  I  hold 
it  to  be  my  sacred  duty  to  be  the  com- 
forter and  the  supporter.  I  pray  yon, 
Madam,  to  rely  on  it  most  confidently ; 
never  to  leave  me  in  ignorance  of  any 
circumstance  in  which  I  can  be  at  all 
useful  to  you,  and  to  write  to  me  always 
direct.  To  anticipate  your  wishes  will 
be  always  an  enjoyment  to  me.  The 
friendship  I  had  vowed  to  your  husband 
goes  beyond  the  tomb,  and  I  have  no 
other  means  of  acquitting  myself  well, 


69 

at  least  in  part,  towards  him,  than  in  act- 
ins;  so  as  to  ensure,  as  I  shall  ever  he  (lis- 
posed  to  do,  the  well-being  of  his  family. 
"  Receive,  Madam,  in  the  present 
cruel  and  distressing  circumstances, 
these  testimonials,  with  the  assurance 
of  all  mv  best  sentiments. 

"  Alexander. 
'«  Toplitz,  the  6th  Sept.  1813." 

The  Emperor  the  more  deeply  felt 
the  loss  he  had  just  sustained,  since  he 
regarded  Moreau  as  the  intermedial  be- 
tween  tlie  Allies  and  the  French  nation. 
Ah  !  who,  more  than  he  was  capable  of 
proving  to  the  French,  whom  he  loved 
so  much,  and  to  whom  he  was  himself 
so  dear,  that  it  is  not  to  reduce  them  to 
subjection,  but  to  deliver  them,  that  the 
Allies  have  taken  up  arms. 

Events  had  succeeded  each  other  in 
such  rapidity,  that  the  General  had  not 
had    time   to  publish    a    proclamation 


70 

which  lie  addressed  to  the  French  na- 
tion, and  which  his  Majesty  approved, 
It  bore  simply  this  title;  "  General  Mo- 
reau  to  the  French."  It  was  short, 
plain,  and  energetic,  as  was  every  thing 
he  wrote.  In  it  he  explained  the  object 
of  his  arrival  on  the  continent,  which 
was  to  aid  the  French  in  withdrawing 
themselves  from  the  dreadful  despotism 
of  Bonaparte  ;  he  there  announced  that 
he  came  to  sacrifice,  if  need  were,  his 
life,  to  restore  repose  and  happiness  to 
a  country  which  had  never  ceased  to  be 
dear  to  him;  he  ended  by  calling  all 
the  true  and  faithful  sons  of  France  to 
the  standards  of  independence.  Thi» 
address  entirely  contradicts  the  procla- 
mation, dated  Grosviteh,  the  17th  of 
August,  which  has  been  attributed  to 
him,  and  in  which  he  lias  been  made  to 
assume  the  title  of  Major  General  in 
the  service  of  Russia.  To  this  suppo- 
sition 1  would   object;  1,  that  at  the 


71 

date  of  the  17th  of  August,  General 
Moreau  was  at  Prague.  2.  that  he  had 
caused  the  Emperor  Alexander  to  agree 
that  he  should  have  no  title  near  his  per- 
son, seeing  that,  having  no  other  ambi- 
tion than  to  restore  repose  to  France, 
his  sole  wish,  after  arriving  at  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  great  end,  was 
quietly  to  terminate  his  days  there  in 
the  bosom  of  his  family.  His  Majesty 
then  said  to  him,  (i  Well ;  be  then  my 
friend,  my  counsel !"'  and  are  not  these 
two  titles  worth  all  that  a  man  can  be 
ambitious  of  obtaining? 

In  the  General's  papers  has  been 
found  the  commencement  of  a  journal 
of  the  operations  of  which  he  had  been 
an  eye-witness,  until  the  fatal  day 
when  lie  was  wounded ;  this  has  been 
sent  to  her  Imperial  Highness  the  Grand 
Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  for  whom  he 
was  writing  it. 

At  length,  after  the  body  of  General 
>reau  bad  been  embalmed  at  Prasue* 


7* 

a  solemn  service  was  performed  over  it, 
and  then  it  was  left  exposed  at  the  pal- 
ace of  the  Archbishopric  for  two  days. 
The  crowd  which  went  thither  to  see 
him,  expressed  their  regrets  in  the  most 
touching  manner. 

On  the  6th  of  September  it  was  de- 
posited in  a.  coffin  to  be  conveyed  to  St. 
Petersburg. 

After  having  seen  the  last  duties  paid 
to  him,  I  thought  only  on  those  which 
the  honour  of  having  known  him,  and 
the  advantage  of  having  valued  him, 
imposed  on  me.  Happy  if  in  this  brief 
and  slight  sketch  I  have  not  too  much 
fallen  short  of  the  great  name  I  have 
celebrated,  and  of  the  great  man  whom 
I  have  tried  to  make  known  to  the 
world  as  I  myself  knew  him  ! 


BIOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIR 


OF 


GENERAL  MOREAL 


J.  V.  Moreau,  the  son  of  a  distin- 
guished advocate,  was  born  at  Morlaix, 
in  1761.  At  the  time  of  the  revolution 
he  held  the  office  of  Provost  of  Juris- 
prudence at  Reunes,  and  possessed  very 
great  influence  among  the  students  ;  he 
owed  it  as  much  to  his  talents  as  to  an 
air  of  frankness,  and  a  most  agreeable 
mein,  which  at  first  sight  were  prepos- 
sessing. At  the  epoch  when  the  parlia- 
ment of  Bretagnc  was  in  opposition  to 
the  court,  he  ranged  himself  on  the  side 
of  the  magistracy,  and  was  called  the 
General   of  the  Parliament,     For  five 


4 


months,  during  which  there  existed  a 
species  of  civil  war  between  the  parti- 
sans of  that  body  and  the  governor  of 
the  province,  Moreau  shewed  bravery 
and  even  skill.  The  Commandant  of 
Rennes,  having  given  orders  to  arrest 
him,  but  to  take  him  alive,  he  opposed 
to  the  searches  which  were  made  for 
him,  so  much  prudence  and  intrepidity, 
that  though  he  appeared  every  day  in 
the  public  places,  the  garrison  could 
never  seize  him.  But  when,  in  its  turn, 
the  parliament  of  Rennes,  seconded  by 
the  states  of  Bretagne,  wished  to  oppose 
the  measures  of  the  ministry  for  the  con- 
vocation of  the  states  general,  Moreau 
changed  sides  without  changing  his 
principles,  and  he  was  seen  to  command 
the  forces,  which  at  Renncs  and  Nantes 
had  organized  themselves  against  the 
parliamentary  party. 

After   having  presided   in   January, 
t/90,    over    the   confederation    of    the 


75 

youths  of  Bretagne,  at  Pontivi,  he  was 
appointed  commandant  of  the  first  bat- 
talion of  volunteers,  organized  in  his 
department. 

Thenceforward  he  seriously  occupied 
himself  in  the  military  art  ;  and,  the  re- 
sult of  his  studies  naturally  reclaiming 
him  to  principles  of  order  and  discip- 
line, the  effervescence  of  his  first  opin- 
ions soon  made  him  incline  to  more 
moderate  views  ;  and  when  the  consti- 
iuiion  of  1/93  was  presented  to  the  suf- 
frages of  the  army,  he  did  not  dissem- 
ble his  very  great  disapprobation  of  it : 
so  that  his  battalion  was  the  last  to  ac- 
cept it. 

Mis  bravery  and  his  talents  soon  made 
him  conspicuous,  and  in  1793  he  was 
appointed  Brigadier-General  to  the  ar- 
my of  the  North.  In  April,  1/9^?  hav- 
ing been  made  General  of  Division,  at 
the  demand  of  the  General  in  chief, 
Pichegrti,  who  had  very  early  appreci- 


76 

ated  him,  he  was  principally  charged 
with  the  conduct  of  the  sieges,  and  suc- 
cessively took  Menin,  Yprcs,  Bruges, 
Ostend,  Nienport,  the  Isle  of  Cassand- 
ria  and  Fort  L'Ecluse.  It  was  at  the 
moment  they  were  taking  possession  of 
this  latter  fortress,  that  he  was  informed 
the  jacobins  of  Brest  had  sent  his  old 
father  to  the  scaffold,  because  he  had 
consented  to  take  care  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  property  of  some  French- 
men who  were  absent.  This  news  af- 
fected him  so  deeply,  that  he  would 
have  emigrated  immediately,  if  Piche- 
gru  had  not  observed  to  him  that  he  was 
not  sure  he  would  be  well  received  by 
the  Austrians,  and  that  from  them  he 
had  to  apprehend  a  treatment  similar 
to  that  which  La  Fayette  had  been  made 
to  undergo,  as  well  as  those  who  ac- 
companied him  in  his  flight. 

During  the  famous  campaign  of  the 
winter  of  1794,  he  commanded  the  right 


77 

wing  of  the  army  of  the  North,  and 
from  that  epoch  laid  the  foundation  of 
that  military  renown,  which,  supported 
by  the  suffrage  of  his  general,  ami  the 
opinion  of  the  whole  army,  soon  gained 
him  the  command  in  chief,  when  Pich- 
esiru  went  to  take  that  of  the  Rhine  and 
Moselle. 

Moreau,  imitating  his  illustrious  pre- 
decessor, soon  disengaged  himself  from 
the  shackles  imposed  on  him  by  the  re- 
volutionary government  established  in 
Holland  by  the  Deputies  of  the  Con- 
vention, and  having  fixed  his  plan  of 
operations,  political,  as  well  as  military, 
lie  communicated  it  to  Generals  Baen- 
dels  and  Dumonceau,  ordering  them  to 
signify  to  the  Batavian  committee,  that 
they  should  second  it,  and  in  eight  days 
signify  to  him  their  obedience  to  thi>> 
injunction. 

When  Fichegru  was  forced  to  qui; 
the  armv  of  the  Rhine  and  Moselle,  '■■■•. 


4 


78 

the  bad  proceedings  of  the  Directory, 
who  had  suffered  him  to  want  provis- 
ions at  Bassein,  and  had  never  allowed 
iiim  sufficient  forces,  Moreau  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  stead,  and  opened  that 
campaign  of  1790,  which  determined 
the  elevated  rank  he  afterwards  occupi- 
ed among  the  French  Generals.  After 
having  repulsed  General  Wurmser,  as 
far  as  Manheim,  he  was  seen  succes- 
sively to  effect  the  passage  of  the  Rhine 
near  Strasburg  ;  to  attack,  on  the  6th  of 
July,  the  Archduke  Charles  atRastadt; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  great  skill  dis- 
played by  that  Prince,  to  force  him  to 
abandon  the  course  of  the  Necker.  Af- 
ter the  battle  given  on  the  11th  of  Au- 
gust, near  Heydenheim,  and  which  last- 
ed seventeen  days,  leaving  both  parties 
uncertain  as  to  whom  the  success  be- 
longed, General  Moreau  seeing  the  Aus- 
trians  retiring  on  the  Danube,  hastened 
to  move  in   advance.     The  Archduke 


79 

Charles,  having  then  filed  toward  the 
right  to  relieve  General  Wartensleben, 
who  was  hard  pressed  by  Jourdain, 
Moreau  bent  his  efforts  toward  the  pur- 
suit of  General  Latour. 

Notwithstanding  the  victory  which 
Moreau  gained  at  Friedberg.  near  Augs- 
burg, on  the  24th  August,  and  his  feint 
of  a  march  on  the  Danube,  as  if  he  had 
meant  to  go  and  relieve  Jourdain,  he 
found  himself  obliged,  on  account  of 
the  reinforcements  which  the  Austrians 
daily  received  from  the  hereditary  states, 
and  of  the  precipitate  flight  of  that  Gen- 
eral, to  effect  his  own  retreat,  which 
took  place  on  the  11th  September. 

Here  commences  one  of  the  finest  mil- 
itary achievements  ever  mentioned  in 
history.  Moreau,  wishing  to  ensure  the 
conveyance  of  his  baggage,  at  first 
sought  to  make  himself  master  of  both 
Banks  of  the  Danube  :  but,  on  finding 
the  bridge  of  Neuburg  occupied  by  Gen- 


80 

feral  Naucndorff,  he  saw  himself  oblijr- 
cd  to  move  along  the  right  bank,  and 
thence  lost  for  the  moment  a  point  on 
which  he  had  relied  for  his  military  op- 
erations. But  with  that  precision  of 
movements,  and  that  wisdom  of  combi- 
nation, which  have  characterized  this 
magnificent  retreat,  he  suddenly  repass- 
ed the  Leek,  and  obtained  some  advan- 
tages over  a  corps  of  observation,  which 
he  astonished  by  his  rapid  march.  The 
reverses  he  experienced  on  his  right  did 
nut  prevent  him  from  beating  tite  Aus- 
trians  at  Biberach?  and  he  would  have 
obtained  a  decisive  advantage  over  them, 
if  the  army  of  Conde  had  not  held  in 
check  for  the  whole  of  the  day,  his  right 
wing,  with  a  bravery,  which  often  in 
these  campaigns,  prevented  the  most 
disastrous  defeats. 

The  Archduke  Charles  had  endeav- 
oured, by  the  most  skilful  manoeuvres, 
to  dispute  the  passage  of  the  Black  For- 


81 

est ;  but,  Moreau,  through  the  greatest 
obstacles,  at  length  succeeded  in  de- 
bouching in  Brisgau,  and  in  passing  the 
Rhine  at  Brissae  and  Huninguen,  pre- 
serving on  the  right  bank  a  tete-de-pont 
before  the  latter  town  and  the  fort  of 
Kehl.  The  Archduke  Charles  lost  be- 
fore Kehl  a  precious  portion  of  time, 
which  he  might  have  better  employed 
in  going  to  relieve  the  army  of  Italy. 
The  siege  was  vigorously  kept  up,  and 
notwithstanding  a  very  brisk  sortie, 
headed  by  Moreau  in  person,  and  in 
which  he  carried  several  works  of  the 
opposing  army,  this  fortress  surrendered 
on  the  31st  December.  The  tete-de- 
pont  of  Huninguen,  defended  with  an 
obstinacy  quite  unexampled,  fell  by  ca- 
pitulation into  the  hands  of  the  Aus- 
trians,  on  the  4th  of  February,  1797- 

It  was  at  this  epoch  that  Moreau,  set- 
ting himself  above  all  sentiments  of  ri- 
valry, which  but  too  often  exist  among 


82 

Generals,  who,  at  distant  points,  com 
mand  separate  armies,  on  learning  that 
Bonaparte  was  extremely  hard  pressed 
by  the  Austrian  forces  in  Italy,  deter- 
mined to  detach  from  the  troops  under 
his  command,  a  corps  sufficient  to  rein- 
force him.  The  following  is  what  Car- 
not  says  of  it  in  the  work  which  he  pub- 
lished in  1799,  in  his  own  justification, 
as  Director  of  the  French  Republic. 

"  Though  Bonaparte  had  his  flanks 
and  his  rear  free,  he  had  not  forces 
enough  to  warrant  him  in  expecting  de- 
cisive successes  against  the  Emperor. 
He  demanded  fifteen  thousand  men  ;  I 
formed  a  project  for  giving  him  thirty 
*  *•  *  *<  These  thirty  thousand  men 
were  to  be  drawn  from  the  armv  of  the 
Rhine  and  Moselle  primarily  ;  then  the 
half  to  be  replaced  by  the  army  of  the 
Sambre  and  Meuse.  Never  was  an  or- 
der more  punctually,  more  faithfully, 
more  loyally  executed.     More  an,  who 


83 

foresaw  Hie  necessity  of  this  disposition, 
had  held  for  a  long  time  a  corps  in  re- 
serve for  this  very  purpose  ;  and  though 
his  army  was  most  unfortunate,  because 
it  could  not,  like,  the  others,  subsist  at 
the  expense  of  the  enemy,  and  though 
the  penury  of  our  finances  was  an  hin- 
drance to  the  supply  of  its  necessities, 
he  had  made  further  sacrifices,  in  order 
that  this  corps  should  be  passably  well 
equipped,  and  ready  to  set  out  at  the 
first  signal.  This  signal  is  given  ;  the 
troops  are  on  their  march  ;  they  arrive 
on  the  frontiers  of  Mont-Blanc,  before 
the  enemy  can  surmise  that  their  desti- 
nation is  for  Italv." 

We  cannot  here  withhold  ourselves 
from  citing  what  Carnot  said  on  the  dis- 
interested conduct  of  Moreau  on  this  oc- 
casion. The  enthusiasm  of  that  ex- 
Director  cannot  here  be  attributed  to  his 
republican  opinions,  but  to  the  admira- 
tion excited  in  him  bv  an  act  worth v  of 


84 

the  most  illustrious  days  of  ancient 
times  :  We  think  that  the  manner  in 
which  he  has  expressed  it  is  an  histori- 
cal homage  which  all  parties  will  ap- 
plaud. 

"  O  Moreau,"  said  he,  "  0  my  dear 
Fabius  !  how  great  wert  thou  in  this 
circumstance  !  How  superior  wert  thou 
to  those  little  rivalries  among  Generals, 
which  sometimes  make  the  best  projects 
fail !  Let  some  accuse  thee  for  not  bav- 
ins; denounced  Pichegru  ;  let  others  ac- 


*a 


cuse  tbee  for  having  done  so  ;  I  care  not. 
But  my  heart  tells  me  that  Moreau  could 
not  be  culpable  ;  ray  heart  proclaims 
thee  a  hero.  Posterity,  more  just  than 
thy  contemporaries,  shall  raise  altars  to 
thee." 

Here  then  behold  Moreau,  forgetting 
both  his  own  perilous  situation,  aud  the 
sentiment  of  his  own  glory,  and  contrib- 
uting to  the  success  of  Bonaparte,  who 
has  since  sought  to  deliver  him  over  to 


85 

the  axe  of  the  executioner,  and  subse 
quently  doomed  him  to  the  torments  of 
exile,  when  it  was  proved  to  him  that  he 
could  not  sacrifice  him  with  impunity. 

Moreau,  wishing  to  assume  the  of- 
fensive, meditated  the  passage  of  the 
Rhine,  but  being  in  want  of  money  to 
construct  the  necessary  bridges,  he  went 
to  Paris,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  from 
the  Treasury  where  with  to  complete 
this  operation.  "  i  induced  him/'  says 
Carnot,  ••  to  set  out  again  immediately, 
and  to  risk  a  coup  de  main,  even  though 
lie  should  not  be  quite  ready.  Moreau 
had  no  need  of  that ;  never  was  there  a 
(xcneral  more  devoted,  more  modest. 
He  sets  out ;  and  the  passage  of  the 
Rhine  is  executed ;  he  astonishes  the 
enemy  only :  in  France  we  were  daz- 
zled and  overheated  with  victories.  I 
did  not  expect  such  prompt  success." 

hi  fact  Moreau  had  effected  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Rhine  in  open  day-light, 
8 


86" 

and  by  main  force  against  an  enemy 
ranked  in  order  of  battle  on  the  other 
bank,  and  on  the  very  day  when  the 
preliminaries  of  Leoben  were  signed  by 
Bonaparte.  The  sequel  of  this  brilliant 
operation  was  the  immediate  retaking  of 
the  fort  of  Kehl ;  several  pieces  of  col- 
ours, the  military  chest,  and  nearly  4000 
prisoners,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
French. 

There  had  been  seized  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Campaign,  in  the  bag- 
gage-waggon of  the  Austrian  General 
Klinglin,  a  correspondence  which  prov- 
ed the  understanding  that  subsisted  be- 
tween Pichegru,  the  Prince  of  Conde, 
and  the  English  minister,  Wickham. 
This  correspondence,  which  was  in  ci- 
pher, had  been  very  slowly  made  out, 
and  Moreau  shewed  the  greatest  repug- 
nance at  communicating  it  to  the  Direc- 
tory. At  length  seeing  the  strife  be- 
tween that  body  and  the  councils  settled . 


87 

and  guessing  what  would  be  the  issue  of 
it,  the  General  felt  that  he  would  lose 
himself  by  his  silence,  without  saving 
Pichegru,  and  being  particularly  press- 
ed by  his  chef  d'etat  Major,  who  an- 
nounced to  him  that  if  he  persisted  in 
his  silence,  he  should  be  obliged  to  re- 
veal every  thing,  he  wrote  that  letter 
with  which  he  has  never  been  reproach- 
ed, unless  because  the  imperious  neces- 
sity to  which  he  had  yielded,  was  un- 
known. He  did  not  write  it  to  the  Di- 
rectors collectively,  but  made  a  kind  of 
confidential  communication  of  it,  aban- 
doned to  the  discretion  of  Barthclemy, 
whom  he  was  far  from  expecting  to  see 
proscribed  along  with  Pichegru.  The 
latter,  after  his  return  from  Cayenne, 
never  shewed  any  sort  of  resentment  at 
it ;  very  far  from  participating  in  the 
prejudices  of  the  multitude  in  this  re- 
spest,  he  was  heard  to  declare  several 
times,  that  it  was  from  Moreau  himself 


88 

that  lie  wished  to  know  the  circum- 
stances which  had  forced  him  to  this 
proceeding,  and  until  then  he  would 
suspend  his  judgment  on  the  conduct  of 
a  former  companion  in  arms. 

The  Directors  were  not  mistaken  as 
to  this  tardy  declaration  of  Moreau,  and 
they  very  soon  placed  him  under  the 
necessity  of  asking  leave  to  retire.  Yet 
the  want  which  was  felt  for  his  talents 
soon  re-established  him  in  the  army, 
without  however  putting  a  stop  to  his 
disgrace;  and  in  September,  1798,  after 
being  named  Inspector  General,  he  was 
called  to  preside  over  a  Military  Board, 
charged  by  the  Directory  to  prepare 
plans  of  campaigns.  It  does  not  appear 
that  this  state  of  inaction  suited  his 
character  ;  for,  on  the  very  opening  of 
the  campaign  in  Italy,  he  was  seen  to 
repair,  as  a  volunteer,  to  the  army  of 
Scherer,  where  he  was  an  eye-witness 
lo  Die  defeats  experienced  by  that  Gene- 


89 

ral  near  Verona.  At  length  the  latter, 
«o  longer  knowing  how  either  to  com- 
mand or  fight,  referred  to  Moreau  the 
care  of  saving  the  army,  which  he  ex- 
ecuted by  the  most  skilful. manoeuvres 
in  the  presence  of  forces  much  superior 
to  his  own.  He  had  just  been  nomina- 
ted Commander  in  Chief  of  the  army  of 
the  Rhine,  when  Joubert  came  to  take 
that  of  the  army  of  Italy.  This  young 
General,  on  the  point  of  giving  battle, 
wished  to  defer  the  direction  of  it  to 
Moreau,  who  refused  it,  and  only  asked 
to  fight  under  his  orders.  In  fact,  he 
fought  in  person  at  the  battle  of  Novi, 
where  Joubert  was  killed,  and  he  him- 
self incurred  the  Greatest  dangers,  hav- 
ing  had  three  horses  killed  under  him, 
and  received  a  ball  in  his  clothes,  which 
grazed  his  shoulder.  He  then  operated 
his  retreat  with  so  much  superiority, 
that  he  almost  nullified  to  the  allies  the 
fruit  of  their  victory. 


9(5 

It  was  after  this  last  mantEiivrc  that 
he  quitted  the  army  of  Italy,  and  termi- 
nated a  campaign,  in  which  he  display- 
ed, according  to  the  avowal  of  all  milita- 
ry men,  a  genius  which  plaeed  him  on  a 
level  with  the  greatest  captains.  It  is 
impossible  not  to  admire  the  art  with 
which,  at  the  head  of  the  remains  of 
a  conquered  army,  he  disputed  some 
leagues  of  territory  which  .Europe  be- 
lieved were  never  to  cost  more  than  a 
few  marches  to  the  victorious  armies  of 
the  allies,  especially  when  we  reflect 
that  he  was  contending  against  the  great 
Suvarow. 

Before  going  to  take  command  of  the 
army  of  the  Ilhine,  Moreau  went  to 
Paris  ;  he  arrived  there  at  the  moment 
when  the  existence  of  the  Directory  was 
tottering  under  the  weight  of  its  own 
faults,  under  that,  also  of  the  haired  of 
France,  and  the  contempt  of  all  parties. 
The   men    who   in    their   councils    had 


91 

formed  the  project  of  overthrowing  hiin; 
believed  that  there  was  only  one  mili- 
tary man  of  great  reputation  who  could 
restore  consideration  and  respeet  to  the 
Government  of  France,  and  eclat  to  her 
arms ;  they  in  consequence  proposed  to 
General  Morean  to  take  charge  of  the 
destinies  of  a  country,  illustrious  by  his 
exploits,  and  of  late  solely  preserved 
from  invasion  by  his  firmness,  his  pres- 
ence of  mind,  and  his  talents.  Moreau, 
not  believing  himself  in  a  condition  to 
direct,  amidst  the  contest  of  the  reani- 
mated parties,  the  affairs  of  his  country, 
refused.  This  fatal  distrust  of  himself, 
which  he  has  since  bitterly  regretted, 
has  put  off  for  many  years  the  repose  of 
France. 

Bonaparte,  who  arrived  during  these 
transactions,  did  not  oppose  the  same 
scruples  to  the  same  proposals,  and  Mo- 
reau, ever  modest,  ever  readv  to  sacri- 
fice  his  pretensions  to  what  he  thought 


93 

was  to  operate  for  the  good  of  his  conn, 
trv,  consented  to  serve  under  the  orders 
of  Bonaparte,  and  to  aid  him  with  his 
influence  and  his  means  in  the  revolu- 
tion which  was  preparing.  Some  days 
after  the  18th  Brumaire,  he  saw  that 
he  had  been  mistaken,  and  feared  that 
he  had  concurred  in  giving  a  tyrant  to 
his  country.  Being  soon  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Danube 
and  of  the  Rhine,  he  went  to  put  the 
seal  on  his  great  military  reputation  by 
a  new  campaign.  Those  who  have  ob- 
served him  in  the  different  affairs  by 
which  it  opened,  say  that  he  then  car- 
ried his  contempt  of  life  too  far,  and  on 
seeing  him  expose  himself  with  the  te- 
merity of  a  soldier,  his  comrades  thought 
lie  was  seeking  to  terminate  in  battle  a 
life,  thenceforth  poisoned  by  a  presenti- 
ment of  the  evils  which  Bonaparte  was 
preparing  for  France.  At  the  battle  of 
.Moeskireh  he  exposed   his  person  like 


a  grenadier^  hajj  four  horses  killed  un- 
der him,   and  received  a  spent  ball  in 
his  chest.     A  very  remarkable  circum- 
stance in  this  campaign,  it  is,  that  at  the 
moment  when    Moreau    was   entering 
Biberach,  Pichegru,  then  a  proscribed 
man,  and  a  refugee  in  Germany,  was 
fleeing  from  this  town   when  the  rapid 
march  of  his  early  friend  had  failed  in 
overtaking  him.     Strange  vicissitude  of 
a  revolution,   which  thus   presented  a 
General  fleeing  before  his  pupil  in  the 
art  of  war,  and  Pichegru  afraid  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  French  soldiers  \ 

Under  a  regular  government,  Piche- 
gru would  have  confided  in  his  friend  : 
bat,  under  the  influence  of  the  Directo- 
rial Oligarchy,  he  would  not,  iu  de- 
livering himself  into  Morearrs  hands, 
have  occasioned  any  thing  but  the  pro- 
scription of  them  both  ;  this  was  what 
hindered  him  from  making  an  appeal  to 
a  soul,  whose  candour  and  lovalty  were 
well  known  to  him. 


94 

At  length,  after  an  uninterrupted  se- 
ries of  victories,  Moreau  gained  tiic 
memorable  battle  of  Hohenlinden,  which, 
terminated  the  campaign,  and  forced 
the  Austrian  cabinet  to  enter  into  a  ne- 
gociation  for  peace.  The  General  re- 
turned to  Paris,  where  he  received  the 
testimonies  of  the  public  admiration. 
Bonaparte,  in  spite  of  the  secret  jeal- 
ousy which  was  devouring  his  heart, 
could  not  avoid  appearing  to  unite  his 
suffrage  to  that  of  all  France,  and  said 
to  Moreau,  on  placing  in  his  hands. a 
pair  of  magnificent  pistols,  "  that  he 
had  wished  to  have  had  engraved  on 
them  all  his  victories,  but  there  could 
not  be  found  room  enough  for  them.*7 
This  forced,  trivial,  incomplete  eulogy, 
proves  how  far  from  sincere  was  the  ad- 
miration of  a  rising  despot  toward  a 
General  who  had,  in  his  eyes,  the  wrong 
of  having  acquired  more  glory  than  him- 
self, and  loved  the  country  which  he 
was  meditating  to  ruin  and  enslave. 


m 

From  that  moment,  Moreau  thought 
solely  of  living  in  retirement ;  and  hav- 
ing united  his  lot  to  a  young  person* 
in  whom  were  combined  all  the  quali- 
ties of  the  mind  with  all  the  graces  of 
beauty,  brilliant  talents  and  solid  virtues, 
he  settled  on  the  estate  of  Grosbois  which 
he  had  bought  of  Barras. 

It  was  there  that  in  the  sweets  of  con- 
jugal union,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
foreigners,  who  arrived  in  crowds  to 
testify  to  him  their  admiration,  he  en- 
deavoured, not  indeed  to  withdraw  him- 
self entirely,  but  to  render  less  importu- 
nate the  sinister  forebodings  which  an- 
nounced servitude  and  misery  to  France. 
He  almost  entirely  gave  up  going  to 
Paris,  and  entirely  ceased  visiting  Bona- 
parte, blaming,  with  a  frankness  more, 
laudable  than  prudent,  all  the  acts  by 
which  that  man  was  forming  a  prelude 

*  Mademoiselle  Hullo! . 


v 


96 

of  tyranny.  All  Paris  then  seized  with 
avidity,  some  traits  which  had  escaped 
him  against  the  latter. 

A  rather  remarkable  incident  which 
happened  in  the  beginning  of  1802, 
must  have  indicated  to  Moreau  that  he 
was  watched  by  spies,  and  that  the  ha- 
tred of  his  ferocious  rival  had  been  feed- 
ing on  all  that  had  escaped  him,  and  on 
his  patriotic  discontent.  A  certain  Ab- 
be David,  known  by  a  hook  published 
on  the  Operations  of  the  Campaign  in 
Holland,  had  conceived  the  idea  of  ap- 
proximating Pichegru  and  Moreau,  fore- 
seeing that  the  union  of  those  two  great 
men  might  one  day  be  useful  to  France. 
He  found  from  the  very  first  overture, 
that  Moreau  was  delighted  with  the 
idea  of  placing  himself  in  communication 
with  his  friend,  his  former  brother  in 
ifrins,  and  set  out  for  London  with  a  let- 
ter which  expressed  to  Pichegru,  that 
wish  of  a  noble  soul  and  a  feeling  heart. 


97 

But  the  police  followed  (he  traces  of  the 
Abbe  David  as  far  as  Calais,  and  ar- 
rested him  just  as  he  was  about  to  em- 
bark. He  was  taken  to  Paris,  detained 
at  the  Police  Administration  Office, 
whither  Bonaparte  secretly  repaired  at 
each  examination,  to  listen  to  the  details 
of  it,  hid  behind  a  screen,  either  because 
he  feared  his  own  agents  would  not  ren- 
der him  an  account  of  it  faithfully,  or 
because,  in  his  impatience  to  find  pre- 
texts for  the  perdition  of  Moreau,  he 
could  not  wait  for  their  report.  The 
Abbe  David  went  to  expiate  at  the  tem- 
ple, the  wrong  of  having  wished  to  re- 
establish between  two  great  men,  that 
confidence  and  friendship  which  had 
once  intimately  united  them. 

Pichegru,  sure  of  what  were  the  sen- 
timents of  his  early  friend,  had  directed 
General  Lajolais  to  him  in  1803,  in 
order  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
projects  which  occupied  him  :  but  Mo 
9 


98 

veau  having  but  little  esteem  for  the  lat- 
ter, had  confined  himself  to  assurances 
of  the  entire  interest  he  took  in  the  fate 
of  his  friend,  and  of  the  desire  which  he 
had  of  soon  seeing  him  again  in  France. 
Lajolais  fancied  he  could  interpret  this 
avowal  as  an  invitation  given  to  Piche- 
gru  to  repair  thither,  in  order  to  concur 
in  the  overthrow  of  the  government  of 
Bonaparte  ;  and  he  came  to  London  to 
bring  the  positive  assurance,  that  Mo- 
reau  was  ready  to  connect  himself  with 
any  kind  of  project  which  should  have 
that  for  its  object ;  and  that  he  ardently 
desired  the  presence  of  Pichegru  at 
Paris.  He  took  good  care  not  to  say, 
that  Moreau  had  testified  to  him  so  lit- 
tle confidence,  that  he  refused  to  lend 
him  fifty  louis  d'or  for  his  journey. 

For  several  months  General  Georges 
was  in  Paris,  to  prepare  the  means  of 
carrying  off  Bonaparte  by  main  force, 
in  one  of  his   rides  from  Paris  to  Hi 


99 

Cloud.  The  plan  he  had  concerted 
with  Pichegru  was  just  at  its  maturity ; 
and  from  day  to  day,  advices  were  ex- 
pected which  were  to  determine  the  de- 
parture of  the  latter  with  two  Princes  of 
the  house  of  Bourbon,  But  what  Lajo- 
lais  announced  of  the  intentions  of  Gen- 
eral Moreau,  appeared  too  important 
not  to  encourage  an  attempt  to  profit  by 
them  immediately  ;  and  it  was  decided 
that,  as  this  General  earnestly  desired 
the  presence  of  Pichegru  in  Paris,  the 
latter  should  set  out  directly  to  concert 
with  him.  Moreau  in  fact  testified  to 
his  early  friend  how  happy  he  was  to 
see  him,  but  he  was  far  from  guessing 
the  project  which  brought  him,  and  still 
more  so,  that  every  thing  was  ready  to 
realize  it. 

Without  disputing  the  necessity  of 
the  re -establishment  of  the  Bourbon 
family,  Moreau  still  wished  to  prepare 
for  it  by  gradations,  which  should  bring 


100 

over  bis  own  party,  in  which  he  counted 
several  republicans,  to  approve  and  sec- 
ond it.  Pichegru,  who  had  concerted 
every  thing  with  Georges,  and  who  felt 
that  any  slowness  of  proceeding  might 
occasion  the  loss  of  the  latter,  and  of  the 
people  Avhom  he  had  collected  for  the 
audacious  enterprise  in  contemplation, 
wished  that  Moreau  should  declare  him- 
self immediately,  and  unconditionally 
bind  himself  to  the  cause,  of  which  lie 
secretly  desired  the  success.  At  length 
Moreau,  sacrificing  his  scruples  to  the 
security  of  his  friend,  and  to  his  warm 
entreaties,  had  agreed  that  those  who 
had  prepared  the  plan  should  execute 
it;  and  that  in  case  of  success,  he  should 
place  himself  in  advance  with  his  party, 
to  protect  them  against  the  measures 
which  the  partisans  of  Bonaparte  might 
take  at  the  first  moment  to  avenge  him. 
He  decided  too  late  :  the  police,  en- 
lightened  by  what  Guerelle   revealed. 


101 

knew  of  the  presence  of  Piehegru  and 
Georges  at  Paris,  and  of  their  connexion 
with  Moreau ;  the  latter  was  first  ar- 
rested. 

All  Europe  knows  the  details  of  this 
disastrous  affair  ;  hut  what  are  less 
known,  are  the  persecutions  in  detail 
which  Bonaparte  employed  to  wound 
Moreau  in  the  dearest  affections,  and 
the  marks  of  respect  and  attachment 
which  the  latter  received  from  all  the 
military  men  during  the  proceedings. 

The  order  had  been  given  by  the 
agents  of  Bonaparte,  not  to  let  Madame 
Moreau  communicate  with  her  consort, 
until  after  having  made  him  experience 
all  the  vexations  of  a  restless  inspection, 
and  suspense  the  most  painful.  When 
this  interesting  woman  presented  herself 
at  the  Temple  with  her  young  infant, 
they  forced  her  to  wait  in  the  open  air 
in  fehe  midst  of  a  cold  and  rainv  season 
until  the  moment  when  it  was  convenient 
9* 


102 

for  the  jailor  to  open  the  gates.  Some- 
times she  passed  whole  hours  exposed 
to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  un- 
less when  she  owed  to  the  pity  of  the 
sentinels,  the  permission  of  seeking 
shelter  under  a  shed.  This  sad  epoch 
did  not,  however,  glide  away  without 
affording  to  the  General  some  enjoy- 
ments, which,  in  part,  compensated  the 
sufferings  thus  inflicted  on  his  heart. 
Although  Moreau  was  a  prisoner,  and 
although  thev  took  him  before  judges, 
who,  it  was  believed,  were  devoted  to 
the  tyranny  which  was  to  crush  him  ; 
he  received  military  honours  every  time 
he  passed  hefore  the  soldiers  charged 
with  guarding  the  outside  of  that  tribu- 
nal ;  and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
a  crowd  of  Generals,  who  assisted  at  the 
debates,  put  their  hands  on  their  sabres, 
and  say  to  him,  every  time  he  was  with- 
in bearing,  "  Comrade,  fear  nothing,  we 
have  sworn  on  our  swords  to  defend  th\ 


103 

life."  Bonaparte  thirsted  for  the  blood 
of  Moreau,  but  the  public  opinion  dis- 
puted against  him  this  illustrious  vic- 
tim ;  and  he  confined  himself  to  banish- 
ing him.  The  details  which  precede 
this  memoir,  have  sufficiently  instructed 
the  reader  concerning  the  last  and  fa- 
tal episode  of  the  life  of  this  great 
man. 

We  cannot  terminate  this  notice  bet- 
ter than  by  publishing  on  the  brilliant 
career  which  the  General  had  made  in 
the  eyes  of  Europe,  some  reflections 
which  have  been  inspired  by  a  deeply- 
felt  admiration  of  the  talents  and  virtues 
of  that  great  man, 

ik  It  was  on  the  approach  of  those 
frightful  misfortunes,  which  were  di- 
rectly menacing  France,  that  there  ap- 
peared, all  at  once,  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Allies,  enemies  of  Bonaparte  and  not  of 
the  French,  a  General  who  had  been 
for  eight  years  exiled  from  the  eounl  - 


104 

which  he  had  served  with  as  much  glory 
as  fidelity. 

"  A.  victim  of  jealousy,  which  his  em- 
inent services  had  excited  in  a  heart 
hostile  to  all  the  glories  which  have 
preceded  that  to  which  it  aspires,  and 
of  the  virtues  which  it  has  never  pos- 
sessesed  ;  this  great  man  had  even  suf- 
fered himself  to  be  forgotten  as  long  as 
he  saw  some  security  for  France  in  the 
triumphs  of  her  actual  chief;  but  after 
the  horrible  catastrophe  of  Russia,  what 
should  this  distinguished  Patriot,  this 
General  do,  who,  in  other  times,  sacri- 
ficed his  self-love  and  his  resentments, 
in  order  to  save  a  French  army  ?  Was 
he  to  content  himself  with  mourning  in 
silence  over  the  misfortunes  of  his  coun- 
try, and  over  the  deplorable  end  of  so 
many  brave  men  ?  Was  lie  to  see  tran- 
quilly to  fall  into  shreds,  that  fair 
France,  the  object  of  his  wishes  and  his 
regrets?  And  was  he  to  shut  himself  out 


103 

forever  from  the  prospect  of  one  day 
seeing  her  again,  under  the  influence  of 
a  reparative  and  tutelary  government? 
No  !  his  inaction,  in  so  menacing  a 
crisis,  would  have  been  treason,  and  he- 
has  never  shewn  himself  greater,  than 
when,  braving  the  prejudices  of  weak 
minds,  the  calumnies  of  his  persecutor, 
and  the  declamations  of  the  French 
Journalists,  he  came  to  offer  on  the  one 
hand,  to  the  allied  powers  his  co-opera- 
tion against  the  tyrant  of  France,  and 
on  the  other  hand,  to  the  French  a 
guarantee  that  it  is  not  on  them  but 
on  the  ambition  of  their  chief,  that 
the  Sovereigns  of  Europe  are  making 
war. 

"  The  love  which  the  great  man  had 
always  borne  towards  his  country,  that 
ambition  which  he  had  constantly  shewn 
to  serve  it  and  not  to  subjugate  it ;  his 
conduct,  equally  wise  and  heroic,  in  the 
midst  of  the  disgraces  he  had  endured. 


106 

the  one  under  the  Directory,  the  other 
under  Bonaparte,  all  served  to  prove 
that  he  was  directed  hy  the  nohlest  and 
purest  of  motives  in  the  brilliant  pro- 
ceeding which  has  honoured  the  end  of 
his  life.  He  sought  not  rank  or  riches ; 
he  was  not  willing  to  dispute  with  the 
despot  his  authority  in  order  to  become 
a  despot  in  his  turn  ;  the  entire  whole 
of  his  life  proves,  that  his  tastes  were 
simple,  his  desires  moderate  ;  and  his 
modesty  always  refused  the  rank,  which 
opinion  assigned  him  among  great  men 
and  great  captains.  He  could  have 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Gov- 
ernment of  his  country,  but  he  feared 
the  seductions  of  power,  the  immense 
responsibility  of  the  supreme  rank.  He 
consulted  his  heart ;  he  felt  not  in  it  the 
courage  to  be  severe  :  he  consulted  his 
strength  ;  he  felt  himself  not  in  condi- 
tion to  govern  France.  Bonaparte  had 
not  the  same  scruples  ;  and  his  petulant 


107 

ambition  blindly  seized  on  a  part,  in 
which  it  perceived  only  an  unbound- 
ed authority  to  exercise,  and  immense 
riches  to  acquire," 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 
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